Serena
by pachirisu
Summary: He's obsessed with the girl on the missing posters. KalosShipping AU.
1. Missing

He was obsessed with the girl in the missing posters.

He'd never talked her, the Kalos League Champion. She kept to herself since her ascension, not talking to anyone outside the Pokémon League. She was on TV everyday though, until her 'disappearance' three months ago.

They say she was kidnapped. Abducted. Went missing. They act as though they're blind. Maybe they are. Maybe that was her aim. She was so beautiful, so captivating, but he knew that was one of her many talents. She could blind people, pull the wool over their eyes, and get away with whatever she wanted.

They said it was sudden. They said it was unexpected. But he knew otherwise. Okay, he'd never talked to the girl, but he had eyes. He wasn't blinded by her lies. In her last few television appearances, she was antsy, she was impatient, and she looked dead inside. He knew.

This was no accident. This was no freak coincidence. This was not sudden, or unexpected, or a kidnapping.

This was planned.

 _Three months before disappearance_

"How have you been, miss Champion? We've all noticed that you've been absent from public life recently."

"I've been fine- just busy with my duties. We've had many challengers at the league recently."

 _Liar._ He taps his fingers on the counter at the Pokémon Centre, watching the screen with intensity. There's something about this girl that interests him; not just the fact that she's the Champion in the region. But he can tell that she's lying from these sentences. Her eyes flicker to the left, just momentarily, but it's long enough for him to pick up on.

Calem Arai came from Kanto, and moved in next door to the future Kalos League Champion in Vaniville Town. He didn't speak the local language, so they didn't have any conversations, just a head nod on the way past. She left on her journey a few weeks after they moved in, so any chance after that was non-existent. He left a month after that, when his family were completely moved in.

His friends; Shauna, Trevor and Tierno journeyed with him, and on the odd occasion, he spotted that girl in a city. He learned from others that her name was Serena, and he found himself to have a growing interest in her. When she became the champion, he was at the front of her celebratory parade, and he waved at her when she came past.

"Well, I wish the best of luck to the league. Is there anyone special in your life at the minute, Serena?"

"No. And I doubt there would be, because I'm not the sort of person people want to date," she laughs bitterly, tossing her golden hair over her shoulders.

"I'm sure that's not true!" The reporter chimed, shifting on her stool. "I know a lot of people that would do anything to date you!" She laughs again, with a roll of her eyes, and that's the day that Calem realises that Serena Voclain is an extremely good liar.

 _Two months before disappearance_

He's in the PokéMart in Anistar City when she flashes up on the TV screen, and everyone in the building stops to look. She has that way, Serena. Her voice draws people in, and her attitudes captivate the nation.

He notices that she looks different from the last time he saw her. Her hair had been cut short, so short, in fact, that it was sticking out at odd angles from underneath her hat. Her face is pale and her eyes look sunk into her head, but the mascara and eyeliner painted on her face cover that up.

"I'm making an appeal," she starts, and these four words capture everyone whose attention isn't already on the screen. "This country is in danger. It has been for ages, but I managed to stop it the last time Team Flare raised their ugly heads. They built the ultimate weapon. They tried to kill everyone again, and I assumed that their leader, Lysandre, was dead. But no! I received a message through my Holo Caster this morning from him. He is alive- I can guarantee that. So please, people of Kalos, I beg you. Stay away from the people in red."

It sounds almost like a threat. Stay away. Calem ponders. Was she with them? Was this a warning- don't mess with us, because we have the Kalos League Champion on our side? No, it couldn't be, Calem decides, shaking his head. No one is that good at lying.

 _Two weeks before disappearance_

The Pokémon Centre in Camphrier Town is almost always cramped, with people staying over while they wait on their Pokémon in the Day Care. Calem manages to snag a sofa in the early evening, and watches the news playing on the tiny TV in the corner. It's all the usual- political decisions, the economy, the environment. But then she appears, and the room goes silent.

Her voice is soft and raspy, but the melodious tone still carries through. She looks better than ever, but this could be a trick of the light. Her hair has grown out in the last six weeks and is now a cute pixie cut framing her face. She has plastered herself in makeup, and there's an obviously fake smile on her face. But no one cares about her appearance apart from Calem- they just want to know what she's got to say.

"I have managed to confirm that Team Flare are indeed at large again. I will be looking for their bases and taking down their leaders just as I did before."

"What is different this time?" The anchor asks, and she fiddles with a length of her hair.

"I don't know. There's a different atmosphere this time. It's darker, almost. It scares me, y'know? They did so much damage last time, I have no idea what would happen if they managed to correctly fire the Ultimate Weapon. That is, of course, if that's still their goal."

She seems to know what she's talking about. She's not stupid, that Serena. In fact, from the eloquence of her words to her carefully planned out sentences, Calem would bet good money she had one of the highest IQs in the country. She was deadly, the Kalos Champion. She was smart, tough, beautiful, and above all- perfect at lying.

 _Three months after disappearance_

"You really have to give this up, Calem," Shauna chastised, shuffling through the papers Calem had carefully arranged on his desk. "How long has it been now, three months?"

"Hey, put them down. They were in an order, thank you," he shot back.

"Thanks for conveniently ignoring my question, idiot," she huffed.

"Don't be so hard on him," Trevor hissed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You know this is what he enjoys."

"Thanks for you subtle support, Trevor," Calem said, glaring across the room. "And for you information, Shauna, it has been three months."

"And do you ever leave your house? Or open your curtains? I mean, it's like a literal cave in here, Calem! It's gross!" Shauna exclaimed, crossing over to the window.

"I leave in the morning to get the papers, and I go downstairs to get food," he answered smoothly, covering his eyes when Shauna pulled the curtains open. "Thanks. I really needed blinded."

"You never shoulda moved out, Big C. I'm surprised your maman let you leave at all!" Tierno said, shuffling awkwardly in place.

"Please don't call me that."

This weekly trip to Aquacorde town wasn't annoyance to Trevor, Shauna and Tierno, but the state Calem was living in was starting to become one. He had decided to move out a week before his _obsession_ , as Trevor so bluntly put it, disappeared. Or didn't disappear, as he would insist. He was almost like a conspiracy theorist- he had her most recent interviews downloaded onto his laptop, and his walls were covered with newspaper clippings. Shauna started to resent visiting him, as the way his study room had become started to annoy her.

"You really need to stop this, though," she said, dropping the volume of her voice so as Trevor and Tierno wouldn't hear her.

"No," Calem said stubbornly, glaring at the pages he was trying to put back into order.

"Calem, seriously. You never even met Serena. Why are you obsessed with her now?"

"Have you seen the way people have been reacting?" He said, putting his pen down on the table. "The country is in chaos. She hasn't been off the news for three months. The league hasn't been functioning since she left. Serena had an effect on the country!"

"I'm sorry, bro, but Shauna's right. You're gonna have to quit it," Trevor acknowledged. This made Calem look up; he and Shauna never seemed to agree on anything.

"I will 'quit it' when Serena is found. Now, can you please leave my house?"

"No. In fact, we will, if you come with us. And if you don't, I'll… get Litleo in here to burn away all the paper!"

"You wouldn't."

"I would." With a sigh, Calem heaved himself up, and slid his feet into his trainers. "Good decision," Shauna confirmed, and shoved him out the door.

Getting Calem outside was one problem, and keeping him outside was another. Almost as soon as he stepped foot on the cobblestones that made up the road, he was attempting to get back into the house. Tierno blocked the door, and skinny as Calem was, he wasn't going to get back inside. The three friends dragged Calem over to a café with outdoor seating, and Trevor went off in search of food and coffee.

"See, this isn't too bad!" Shauna exclaimed, looking at Calem expectantly.

"It is," he moped, resting his head on his arms.

"Oh, grow up. You're nineteen, and you're _lovesick_ , over a girl you've never even met!"

"I have met her," Calem said, rolling his eyes.

"You nodded at her a few times two years ago, big deal. So did I. There are people who actually knew her who aren't moping as much as you. Like… her parents. I've seen them on TV, and yes they're sad, but they're functioning. Mon Dieu, Calem, what is wrong with you?"

"I did know her," he mumbled, but Shauna merely rolled her eyes.

"You watched her on TV. So did we all. You really need to function better, Calem. I understand that you're sad, and you miss her. But…" Shauna paused, sounding slightly dejected. "You've been ignoring your friends, the people who are important to you. When did you last let Greninja out? I'm sure it hasn't been out in a while."

"I may not be in the happiest mind space at the moment, but I still remember to let my Pokémon out every day. And I may be functioning better if I wasn't constantly being bombarded by questions by my so called friends!" This was the most he had spoken all day, and Shauna was taken aback.

"We're not constantly bombarding you, Calem. We're just… concerned about your well being," Trevor said, returning with a tray filled with pastries and mugs of coffee.

"I know. But I'm fine, honestly," Calem tried to reassure, but his comments fell on disbelieving ears.

"If you're 'okay', will you at least promise to open your curtains every day? And maybe open the window as well," Shauna suggested, placing a hand on Calem's shoulder.

"I'll try."

"No, you will," Trevor said, glaring over his coffee cup.

"Fine, I will. But you're not to come over every day to check that I've done it, okay?"

"Deal," Shauna said, biting into her croissant. The conversation was over, and there was no point in Calem arguing anymore.

They allowed him to return to his house after this- thirty minutes outside was almost too much for him. Shauna promised she'd be back the following week, but Calem just rolled his eyes and waved her off.

He didn't even plan to be there the following day.

For all their moaning and complaining about him obsessing over Serena, he thought he'd actually found her. By watching and rewatching all her old interviews, by analysing newspaper articles written about her, and by curating all this information on a giant map of the Kalos region, he'd managed to pinpoint locations where it was semi likely she would be.

Calem grabbed his backpack from his wardrobe. It was the one he had taken on his journey, so the feel of it on his back was still familiar. He threw his Pokéballs, some food and cash into the bag and zipped it up, leaving it on his bed. Tomorrow morning, he'd be gone. Early in the morning, he decided, in case Shauna decided to come round to poke her nose in again. He laid out clothes, so all he had to do was shower, dress himself and go. He took the map down from the wall, and folded it into his bag before deciding it was almost time to sleep (he did that a lot, Calem).

* * *

Morning came quickly, and he was awoken by sun streaming through a gap in the curtains. Calem rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and then got ready. He double-checked his bag- Pokéballs, money and food, check. He strapped his Mega Evolution bracelet to his wrist, and stuck his Holo Caster into his jacket pocket. Lifting a pen from the table, he scribbled a note for Shauna-

 _Dearest Shauna,_

 _Your words were an inspiration to me, and I decided to go sort out my life, just like you wanted me to._

 _Just kidding, I'm going to find Serena. Don't come looking for me, and don't call my Holo Caster. Bye, mon amie._

 _Calem_

He threw open the curtains, before escaping through the front door. He would find Serena soon enough.

* * *

 _AN: This is gonna be angsty af since thats what i like to read. Hope you enjoy, and leave a review if you do!_


	2. Discovery

"Why did he leave this note?" Shauna exclaimed, glaring at the piece of paper in her hands. "Why did he even leave? He's not mentally stable; he's barely going to be able to cope! He's locked himself in the apartment for months now!"

"Shauna, calm down," Trevor advised, placing a well-intentioned hand on her shoulder, which she quickly shook off. "Calem is old enough to know what he's doing. I'm sure he's safe."

"He might be now, but what about in a few months! We left him here for a _week_ , and he vanished!" Shauna said, pacing backwards and forwards through Calem's cramped room.

"Shauna, chill! Like Trevor said, Calem'll be fine!" Tierno interjected, making little effort to actually calm Shauna down.

"I will not chill!" She shrieked, glaring at her friends. "Something could happen to him, and we would never know! We can't call him!"

"He said you can't call him, Shauna, but we can try?" Trevor suggested, and Shauna perked up slightly at this.

"Oh… okay. Okay. We can try that." She sank onto Calem's bed, lifting the Froakie pillow and cradling it on her knee. Trevor pulled out his Holo Caster, and scrolled through to fins Calem's name. He put his call through, and waited, but Calem didn't pick up.

"It was worth a try," Trevor said, putting the device back in his bag.

"Try again!" Shauna said, but Tierno shook his head.

"His Caster's probably turned off. He probably doesn't want bothered, that's why he said not to call. He'll come back Shauna, don't you worry."

* * *

Calem hated Lumiose City with a passion. Big cities in general were his downfall, but this had to be the most horrible place he'd ever stepped foot into. There were people _everywhere_. He attempted to take side streets to get where he was going, but ended up getting lost and was forced to ask someone for directions. He ended up on the North Boulevard, and found the Pokémon Centre. Here, he grabbed a map before escaping back into the hub of the city.

The only other times he had been in the city he had either been going straight through it, or heading towards the gym, which was in the centre of the city and therefore was relatively easy to get too. But the place he was looking for wasn't easy to find, and the stress of being in the big city was getting to him. Calem was a country boy through and through, having lived in Lavender Town in Kanto until he was seventeen, and then Vaniville Town until he left on his journey. He tended to avoid cities, and when there was no other choice but to stay in it, he locked himself in his room in the Pokémon Centre.

The building Calem was looking for was small and easily ignorable, located on the street running between North Boulevard and Rouge Plaza. He himself had never noticed it, but then again, he wasn't looking for it. He had heard Serena talking about the 'Looker Bureau' on the news, but he had never heard of it. She had donated a large amount of money to it six months ago, and had told the news team that she was fully in support of the International Police, which is who this Looker worked for. Calem thought that was probably breaking his vow of secrecy.

She hadn't broadcasted the location of the building, though, so they were still in the clear. It took Calem a long time to find this building- it involved him using a detailed street view map of the city to find shady buildings, and cross referencing them with a list of rented properties. This one was the only purchased building in the last year, so Calem though he'd at least check it out. Who knows, maybe this Looker had a clue to where Serena was? Or maybe he could help find her- he was a detective after all.

Calem pushed the door open, walking into what appeared to be a very messy office. It was empty apart from one man at the back, hunched over piles of documents at a desk. Calem thought the sound of him opening the door would alert the man to his presence, but he didn't look up. Calem cleared his throat, and the man shot up, accidentally tossing papers across the room.

"Sorry to disturb you," Calem offered, lifting a few of the pages and holding them out to the man.

"How… how did you find here? This building is supposed to be a secret- it belongs to the International Police!"

"I know," Calem said, leaning against the wall. "Serena led me here." With that name, the man straightened up, fixing his tie and attempting to flatten his hair.

"Ah. Our beloved Serena. I have no idea how you got this place out of her, since she's been gone for three months, but congratulations. You must be smart. The name's Looker. I'm a detective with the international police, but I'm sure you knew that." He held his hand out, which Calem reluctantly shook.

"Calem. I'm… an acquaintance of Serena's. I was wondering… if you knew anything about Serena's whereabouts?"

"Son, if I knew, the whole country would know. I've been number one on the case for Serena the whole time; I've been on it since the beginning. I've searched high and low, but I have no clue where she is."

"Oh. Alright. I'm looking for her at the minute, and I have some ideas."

"You're welcome to cross reference them with mine, but I don't reckon you'll find anything. Serena's made herself untraceable. She's smart- much smarter than you or I."

"I know."

"You don't talk much, do you?" Looker asked, squinting at the boy.

"I don't have much of a need to."

"Well, whatever. I have a lot of work to do, for Serena's case and for others, but the Serena wall is over there." He gestured to his right, where a huge picture of Serena covered the wall, surrounded by smaller newspaper clippings, stills from interviews and transcripts. Clearly Looker had gone through everything that Calem had, but there was no huge map like Calem had stuffed in his backpack.

Calem pulled out said map, and held it up to the wall. There were noticeable similarities between his and Looker's version, but there were some things missing from this detailed mural. Looker hadn't made a note of all the locations Serena had talked about, but Calem had. He had crossed out all the more obvious ones, such as cities, but kept in specific buildings, like the Looker Bureau.

"Thanks," Calem mumbled halfheartedly, and wandered out of the building. Looker had been useless, much to his chagrin. He had assumed that a leading detective would've been of more help to him, but he had only confirmed one thing- Serena was smarter than he could ever give her credit for.

 _Four Months After Disappearance_

Walking everywhere was a pain. Calem had opted for this because he knew how stupidly stubborn his friends were, and they would search the skies for him. His Talonflame was a bit of a giveaway, so he decided to stick to the ground to search for now. This did mean, however, that he had to have his route planned out very specifically- there was no doubling back or changing his mind halfway though. His route was definite, and he couldn't change it. Well, he could, but he seriously doubted he _would_.

Anistar City was a good two weeks walk from Lumiose, and trudging through the snow covered Route 17 when he didn't have a Mamoswine was a pain (literally). He could've borrowed a Mamoswine, but signing up for them required your name, and that was something he was trying to avoid giving out. Although Shauna would never think of checking online records for his name, Trevor was good at that sort of thing, and could probably hack into any database over the country to find his name and where he'd been.

Calem always hated that cities were given descriptions. Anistar's was 'the starry city that counts the hours', which Calem assumed was in reference to the structure that was supposed to be a sundial located at the north of the city. He was checking here for Serena because this is where they'd first met. Okay, he didn't talk to her ever, but they had seen each other a few times while travelling, and this was the first place he had physically bumped into her.

If anyone else heard Calem's internal monologue that day, they probably would've cringed, because he was nearly crying. He had admired Serena since he first saw her in Vaniville Town, and whatever admiration he had for her had turned into something else while journeying. Any time he had seen he looked like he had crawled out a bush (he probably had in fairness), whereas she was the ray of sunshine that she had always looked like. He cursed himself for never having the courage to talk to her, but that was just him- awkward, seventeen year old Calem who had trouble talking to anyone, never mind girls he liked.

And look at him now- only very slightly less awkward twenty-year-old Calem, who could now just about talk to people. Calem, who was running around the country after a girl he had never spoken too. He sighed as he leaned against the railings separating him from the sundial. It suddenly hit him how stupid this all was, but he was already four months in- he wasn't about to give up now. An old man was leaning against the railing a few metres up from him, and he chuckled slightly, causing Calem to perk up.

"Girl problems?" Came the deep voice, and Calem whipped around to face him.

"Wh-what?"

"I asked if you were having girl problems. That's why people in this city come to the sundial mainly- to get away from their relationship problems. Of course, you could just be a tourist, but you look far to comfortable leaning against the railing."

"I'm not a tourist," Calem confirmed, "but you're right- I'm having girl problems. I'm having an epiphany; I'm an idiot."

"Ah, young love. Come on son, tell an old man your troubles."

"I don't want to bore you."

"What does she look like?" Calem rolled his eyes and sighed, but decided he may as well tell the man anyway.

"Blonde. Tall. Pretty- no, beautiful. She's really smart, and… well she's famous, so I never have a chance with her. Also, I've never talked to her. Like, ever."

"Well, I think you're going to have to talk to her. She sounds like some woman," the man said, letting out a low whistle.

"She is, I guess. I just need to find her."

"Find her? Why, where's she gone?"

"I don't know. But I will find her, so it'll be okay. I guess."

"I think I know who you're talking about, lad, and let me tell you, she's not been here. People have been searching every city looking for our star, but she's not in Anistar. Hasn't been in two years."

"I know. I don't know why I thought she'd come here. I'm being stupid."

"Have you tried the Pokémon village?" The man said, leaning forward suddenly.

"The where?"

"The Pokémon Village! It's south of Snowbelle City. I heard once that she liked to visit there. She befriended the Pokémon there, and she finds it relaxing. Wulfric said that once- he goes down there too sometimes."

"I'll check it out. I mean, I don't think she'll go somewhere as obvious as there, but It's worth a try."

"It's not obvious at all! Apparently it's almost impossible to get into it. Only those with a quick mind and a pure heart can find it."

"Sounds like a load of shit," Calem mumbled. "Well, thanks for your help. I'll have to find random old men in cities to ramble to."

"Random old men?" The old man chuckled, patting Calem on the shoulder. "Son, I'm Serena's grandfather."

He supposed he had to change his route, then.

* * *

 _._


	3. Surprises

" _Calem! This is Trevor. I know you said not to phone you, but well, Shauna was pestering me. Anyway, please make some indication that you're safe. We're all worried about you."_

Turning on his Holo Caster was a mistake, Calem decided, especially after hearing such a gross and sappy message. And from Trevor! He was never one for flashy shows of affection, so Calem assumed that they were genuinely worried about him. Not that it particularly mattered to him- he would only go back to Aquacorde Town after he had found Serena.

Sometimes it crossed his mind that people might think he had the wrong intentions about meeting with Serena. People might think he was trying to find her for fame or money, but in reality, he just wanted to know she was safe. He knew for a fact that Serena would never recognise him as an equal, or pay him any morsel of attention, but he cared about her probably more than he cared about himself. He shook all these thoughts off, and declared that he was just being paranoid.

It had been six weeks since he had left the comfort (if he could say it was comfortable) of his apartment and hit the road, and only now was he reaching his third location, the Pokémon Village. This was a huge detour- he hadn't even planned to go near Snowbelle City, since he wasn't at all accustomed to the snow. But here he was, in the middle of a forest, trying not to have a heart attack every time he saw a Trevenant. Serena's grandfather had said he would only get the Pokémon Village if he had a sharp mind and a pure heart, and Calem very much doubted the latter. He had a sharp mind, definitely- he could remember every path he'd taken up until this point, but that wasn't really helping him. It felt as though he was wandering around in circles, even though he knew for a fact that he wasn't.

An hour of stumbling around in the dark later, Calem found a clearing, and burst through the light into a seemingly never-ending field. The whole place was covered in knee high yellow flowers, and there were Meowstic and Espurr running about in the grass. A man stood in the centre of the field, arms crossed and his back to the clearing that Calem had emerged from. The sunlight was harsh, and Calem covered his eyes with his arm, forgetting that he had sunglasses perched on top of his hat. The man turned to face Calem, and the younger boy recognised him immediately.

"Wulfric?"

"Calem, my boy! What are you doing out here?" The gym leader boomed, pacing across the clearing to stand beside Calem. The latter felt very small standing beside the man, and at six foot two, this wasn't a regular occurrence.

"Looking for someone. But they're not here, so I'll be on my way."

"How can you tell? Who is it you're looking for?"

"No one you would know," Calem mumbled, staring down at his trainers.

"Try me. I've met just about every trainer in this region at one point or another."

"What if they're not a trainer?" Calem challenged.

"I doubt that you, a first class trainer, would be searching in the _Pokémon_ Village for someone who wasn't a trainer."

"It's a girl. That's all I'm saying."

"Oh, a girl. Of course. And not just any girl. Because not just any girl comes here, Calem. I'm not stupid. We all know."

"'We' all 'know' what?" Calem gesticulated.

"We, as in the league members, know about poor little Calem's puppy dog crush on Serena. We all know what happened in the League that time."

"That's a memory I'd rather keep repressed, thank you very much."

"It's not good to dwell on the past, Calem! Let it out!"

"I'll be going now, Wulfric. Thank you for your kind words and encouragement though. Much appreciated," Calem said, his voice obviously dripping with sarcasm.

"Calem, everyone is worried about you. You know this, right?"

"I've been made aware," Calem commented vaguely.

"You've got to look after yourself. Serena isn't lost, she's gone away. She'll come back when she feels ready."

"I just want to know she's okay." Calem turned to leave, and as he took a few steps back towards the forest, a thought hit him. "You know Shauna?" He asked, and Wulfric nodded. "Can you send her a message and tell her I'm okay?"

* * *

"Shauna, there's someone on the phone for you! Hurry up!"

"Okay mom!" Shauna called downstairs, before running down the staircase and to the phone in the hallway. "Hello?"

"Shauna? It's the Snowbelle City Gym Leader, Wulfric, here."

"Oh. Okay. Hello!"

"Hello. I was asked to pass on a message by a friend of yours." Shauna's breath caught in her throat, and she nodded, even though Wulfric couldn't see her.

"Okay."

"Calem says he's okay. I saw him just earlier today, and told him of the League's concern about him. He's a talented trainer, but I fear he's going off the rails a little. Ever since that incident when he challenged the Pokémon League, he hasn't been quite the same, I fear."

"Wait… Calem challenged the Pokémon League? This is news to me!"

"Yes, about a year and a half ago. It was a disaster, to put it nicely. He didn't do too badly during the Elite Four, but… well, I think you should probably hear it directly from him."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Exclaimed Shauna, rubbing her temple with her free hand.

"Wait. Bide your time, young one. He'll come around."

"We've been waiting for him to 'come around' for three years, but he just seems to get worse."

"He will. Don't worry."

"Thanks anyway, Wulfric," Shauna sighed. "Have a nice day." She hung up after that, not willing to listen to anything else the man had to offer.

* * *

 _Five Months After Disappearance_

Calem still watched the news religiously, even while trying to remain as incognito as possible. He'd abandoned the whole 'I'm going to walk everywhere" thing, and had flown on Talonflame to Geosenge Town. He had checked into the Hotel Marine Snow, where he was currently engrossed in the wall mounted TV in the lounge. About ten other people also occupied the space, but they all seemed to ignore Calem and his enthusiastic watching of the daily show. Unfortunately for him, there was nothing particularly interesting to report- nothing on Serena, or Team Flare, or anything. It was mostly a reiteration of yesterday's news, and Calem trudged back up to his room after the broadcast.

Geosenge Town bore a strange significance for everyone living in the Kalos region. That was where Team Flare built their base, and that was where the Ultimate Weapon fired and destroyed the centre of the rural town. Although the Team Flare leader was buried in the rubble and presumed dead, Team Flare was still active, in a way, and apparently Serena went to take them down for good. And therefore, Calem marked this place high on his list to look for the saviour of the Kalos region.

He had been there that day, the day she saved the Kalos region. He wasn't part of the action, oh no. He had merely been passing through, and was caught up in the chaos that quickly over took the town. He could still see her in his mind after the Ultimate Weapon fired- standing in the middle of the crater, hands on hips and golden hair whipping about in the dusty wind. She announced that the war against Team Flare was over, and the region breathed a sigh of relief. He was a bystander, yet he couldn't shake those images out of his mind. And it wasn't just the one of her. It was all of them- the town being closed off by the grunts, and of the Ultimate Weapon rising from the ground in a morbidly spectacular fashion.

Calem rested his head in his hands. It was late enough for it to be socially acceptable for him to sleep; yet his body didn't want to let him. There was so much on his mind, and no matter what he did, his mind wouldn't empty of thoughts. He was a mess, and he would be the first to admit that. His Pokémon could tell, his friends could tell, and his family could tell. He was glad he wasn't at home while feeling like this- there would be a never-ending lecture about his mental well being. He hadn't been in his own home for just over two months, and part of him enjoyed the freedom he got with being outdoors. He had forgotten how much he had missed travelling, but another part of him missed being inside, in his own house. He was contrary like that, Calem- he could never quite make up his mind. The brunet flopped back onto his pillow, staring at the plain white of the ceiling and praying that sleep would come to him in time. It did, of course, and he fell into a slumber to the sound of raindrops falling lightly onto the window.

* * *

"It's still there! Our building is still there!" A male voice came from outside the window.

"Shut up!" You're going to wake everyone up! This is supposed to be a stealth mission, and clearly you're not very good at that!" A female voice retaliated, clearly annoyed at the first person.

Calem rolled over, reading the clock on the wall said that it was the ungodly hour of five a.m. He got out of bed, accepting that he was now in fact, awake, and stared out the window at the shouting match that supposed to be subtle below him.

"I'm telling you though, it's still here! And maybe the boss is still here too!"

"He was crushed. There's no way he's still here." These words perked Calem up, and he managed to focus his eyes enough to see that the people shouting were clad in red suits. His eyes widened, and he threw off his pajamas, replacing them with the clothes he had been wearing the day before, and clipping his Pokéballs to his belt. He tore down the stairs, and flung open the front door, arriving at the scene just as someone else arrived on the other side of the crater.

"Hey!" They called, and Calem started. They were addressing him, and he had to squint to make out who it was. "Call out your Pokémon! We're going to have to fight."

Calem guessed that the person was a girl, from their silhouette. Her hair was tied in a messy bun, and she had a skirt that reached her mid thigh. She looked as though she had just been running, and was panting slightly. Calem wondered if she had been tracking them, but he let this thought go as she called out again.

"Hey, you!" This time she addressed the fighting pair, and they whipped round to see her. "What are you doing? It's five a.m.; this is no time to be inspecting whether or not your boss is buried under the ground here. He's dead, as you said. And I'm sure if you did find his body, it would be a skeleton, by now."

"It's her!" The man hissed to his partner, and she nodded fervently.

"We're going to have to take you down, miss. We can't have someone like you running to the media to spill the beans, and Arceus knows you would."

"I would not," The other girl said indignantly. "Come on. Send out your Pokémon. We have to fight! I wont tell the media if you can beat us," she continued, gesturing towards Calem. "Of course, you won't be able to beat me." She reached up to the top of her head, untying her hair. She took a step forwards as she did, and the moon illuminated her in a way Calem never thought he would see her. The swish of her hair against her skin reminded Calem of before, and he realised he was standing in the presence of the champion.

"Serena?" He whispered, and she turned around.

"Yes, it's me. Big whoop. You better not say anything about this to the press; they'll have a field day. Of course, I'll mention your name. You'll get all the credit, Calem, dear."

"You remember my name?"

"Of course. Now, send out your Pokémon!" She tossed her own Pokéball, releasing a fully-grown and powerful Delphox. He sent out his Greninja, and the two Kalosian starters lined up beside each other as if they had been partners for years. The Team Flare grunts sent out their Pokémon, a Houndoom and a Manectric. Delphox, use Flamethrower on Manectric!"

"Greninja, Hydro Pump!" The two trainers called out their attacks in sync, and the water and fire attacks combined to be devastating to he opposing Pokémon. They crumpled after one attack, lying in a heap on the ground.

"Good job," Serena addressed, Calem not sure whether to him or Delphox, before returning her own Pokémon to it's Pokéball. "Now, scram. Get lost! And don't come back- I'll be keeping an eye out for you here. Or at least, someone else will. Au revoir!" The did as she said, hastily running out of the town to it's southern interest.

"They were weak. Weak trainers have no place trying to take over the world," she snorted. "And they don't even have a leader. How do they expect to get anything done?" She tied up her hair again t her own rhetorical question, and turned to face Calem. "Well done. I'll place this all on you, so you'll get the glory. She turned to leave, before adding on her way out of the city; "I'll see you again, ma chérie." And then she was gone, as if she hadn't been there at all. Calem wasn't sure how she had done it, but she was silent and fast, and clearly that's how she was getting around the region.

Calem wandered back into the Hotel, and slumped on his bed. It was still early in the morning, but he knew that the adrenaline pumping in his veins would prevent him from sleeping. He pulled out his Holo Caster, and composed a text to his best friend.

 _Dear Shauna. If you want to know the truth about Serena, meet me at the sundial in Anistar City at twelve a.m._

* * *

 _EDIT 15/11/15: Changes tenses in chapter one. All flashbacks are now in present tense._


	4. Story

At eleven pm, Calem wondered if he should reconsider meeting with Shauna. He flew over to Anistar City when he woke up from his nap, but he had turned his Holo Caster off, so he had no idea if Shauna had actually got his message, or was even coming. He decided to hedge his bets anyway, and positioned himself under the sundial. The moonlight shot through it and refracted, creating an eerie shine on the sea below it. Calem pulled his jacket up over his chin, covering his mouth. It was cold here, but he couldn't complain. There was a myriad of warmer and more convenient places he could've picked, like Coumarine City, but he thought Anistar had more of a sentimental value to it.

He stood in the dark and in the cold for a good forty minutes before he saw Shauna's head bobbing in the distance. He mentally prepared himself, leaning against the railing and taking deep breaths. He knew that Shauna would bombard him with questions, but she knew rightly what question was getting answered. She ran up to him once she got a glimpse, throwing herself around his shoulder.

"Calem! We've all been so worried about you! You take of out of nowhere, and then I get a random text at six a.m. telling me you want to meet up? What sort of absurd world do you live in?" She was sobbing, and Calem shook her off, inspecting the teary mark she had left on his jacket.

"Yeah. Sorry."

"You're not sorry at all, Calem. I can tell. We've known each other for so long-"

"Three years."

"And I know for a fact that you're _hurting_ ," she ignored him and pressed on. "I know that you care about Serena for some odd and unexplained reason, but…"

"I asked you here so I can explain. I mean, that's what you've wanted from the start, right?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Well, I'll tell you."

 _Two Years Before Disappearance_

Calem has trained probably longer than necessary to take on the Pokémon League, and here he stands, at the top of Victory Road. He knows what challenges he's about to face, but he can't shake the thought of what lies at the end of the Elite Four (if he manages to beat them, that is). And he does manage to defeat them. He breezes through them in fact, and his Pokémon barely need any medical help after they were done. He stands on the lift up to the Radiant Chamber, where he knows his greatest challenge awaits.

Serena stands in the room, facing the huge window that fills most of the back wall. She has her usual outfit on, and Calem can't help but remember the time he watched her leaving Vaniville Town from inside his house, too awkward to wish her well on her journey like the rest of the town was. She spotted him that day, up in his bedroom, and gave him the wave that became her signature. She turns slowly, slowly towards him, her smile soft and welcoming.

"Welcome, challenger. I've heard good things about you, Calem Arai from the Kanto region. Are you ready to battle?" She asks, and he nods silently. "Good. Let's begin, then. Sylveon, I choose you!"

He sends out his Meowstic, and the battle begins in earnest. However, as much as he tries, and as much as he strategizes, he can't get a hit in. None of his moves make any contact with Serena's Pokémon, because they were either too quick for his to even follow, or have some kind of defense mechanism, such as Mirror Coat or even Protect. Her Hawlucha proves to be extremely difficult, and by the time she has switched to it, she's lazily calling out attacks and her Pokémon are barely obeying her. It's Detect defense is unbreakable, and Calem's Greninja can't even get near the creature. After a twenty minute battle, Calem's Greninja falls, and he accepts defeat.

"Well… you tried. You're not as good as what I've heard, Calem. Drasna told me you swept her Pokémon with your Goodra, but it seemed very weak to me. Please do try again. I feel as though you were… distracted, or something. Is everything okay?" She asks, returning her Pokémon and walking closer to him. He nods mutely in response, but she frowned in response. "I'll be coming home to Vaniville in a few weeks. We can meet up then, and maybe we can have a battle. I'd like to see you when you're on top form." He nods again, and she offers her hand. "We'll meet again, mon ami."

 _One Year and Ten Months Before Disappearance._

"Ah, Calem. Sit, sit. It's so lovely to see you again. You've grown, haven't you? You're a lot taller than me."

He nods.

"Well anyway, how have you been?"

He shrugs.

"Training hard?"

He nods again.

"You don't talk much, do you? Well, whatever. I guess you can get across whatever you need through your body language. And, if we battle, that'll explain much more. Let's cut to the chase. I'll get these coffees to go. Battle time?"

He nods.

"Let's go, dummy."

They engage in combat outside the café, the same match up that started the Pokémon League match. Her Sylveon, graceful and beautiful as ever, against his Meowstic, quiet but deadly. He has been training a lot, and Calem is determined not to lose to her again. He calls out attack after attack, and eventually, with a lot of luck, her Sylveon falls to the ground, his Meowstic purring victoriously.

"My, my. You've certainly improved. That took almost as long as our whole league battle!" She laughs, and he's entranced. She grabs him by the wrist, and pulls him around the side of the café, leaning on the wall. "You interest me, Calem. I really do wonder what's going on in that head of yours. It must be interesting, since you never have the time to talk. Do you talk to other girls? Or is it just me you're silent with?" She looks slightly hurt at that moment, but Calem shakes it off. She is a good actor, that was all.

"Well, I should be going. I have to pack before I go back to the league." She tugs her scarf around her neck, straightens her hat, and stands up straight. "It was nice meeting with you again, mon ami." She leans over and kisses him on the cheek, and in a moment of madness Calem can't resist her and he grabs her by the scarf and kisses her, hard, pushing her back into the wall she was just leaning on. He breaks off after a moment, realizing what he's done, and retracts into his coat.

"Your technique could use some improvement…" she pauses for dramatic effect, and Calem can't help but wonder what was coming next. "Ma chérie."

And then she's gone with a snort and a swish of blonde hair.

 _One Year and Six Months Before Disappearance_

It's spring when Serena next takes a trip home. The whole town throws a party for her, as per usual, and she's seated in the middle of the town square, smiling and shaking hands and signing autographs. Calem can't bring himself to go after what happened the last time they met. It was a stupid move on his part, and he regretted doing it at all. As well as the personal shame it brought him, he knew it would make things awkward between them. He had no thoughts since then about rechallenging the league. If anyone ever beat her, he would be the first person to challenge them, but he can't bring himself to relive the experience.

He watches the gathering from his bedroom window. The whole town is there, as well as Tierno and Trevor, who travelled down at Shauna's request. She also asked Calem to leave his house, but of course that isn't going to happen. He's just too scared to talk to Serena. He spots his mother talking to her, and prays to Arceus that Serena won't say anything to her. They're laughing, and Calem panics, closing the curtains of his room and pretending he wasn't home at all.

* * *

"Calem! Come downstairs!" His mom calls a few hours later, and he reluctantly leaves the sanctuary that is his room to visit her. "You need to get out more, Calem. How long have you been in this house for?"

"I'm looking for a place, maman. Sorry."

"Anyway, I was talking to that Serena at the party, and says you two have met before!"

"Yeah." This is a memory Calem would rather keep repressed, but apparently he doesn't have a choice in the matter.

"You should hang out with her more often. She's a good girl. Very strong- you could learn from her, Calem!" She laughs, and Calem rolls his eyes.

"I've battled her before. She's impossible to beat."

"She said you beat her Sylveon."

"I did. Well, Meowstic did, but that's not the same. Her six strongest Pokémon are impossible to get through. Why do you think she's been champion for a whole year? Diantha didn't stand a chance against her."

"Wait, so have you battled her, six on six?"

"Once. I regret it."

"You shouldn't have any regrets, Calem!" She chimes, making a start on dinner.

"I knew that I wasn't really strong for the League, so it was a stupid move. Maybe another time."

"Anyway, as I was saying," she continues, ignoring Calem's spiel, "You should hang out with her more. She's the complete opposite of you, so you would compliment each other well."

"Maybe," Calem says, with no intention of ever hanging out with Serena again.

* * *

He receives a text at 11 a.m. the next day, from an unknown number. He opens it up regardless, and his heart sinks.

 _This is Serena. Shauna gave me your caster number so I can contact you! Anyway, come over. I want to see you, since you didn't turn up yesterday. xxx_

Calem sighs, knowing that if he doesn't go over, she'll break down his front door. So he dresses himself in his usual hoodie and jeans, and walks over to her house. It's only across the path from his own, but the walk seems to take forever. He knocks on the door warily, and it flies open, Serena pulling him inside by the wrist.

"My parents aren't home," she whispers, throwing the door closed and locking it for good measure. She then moves to Calem, wrapping her arms around his neck. His hands instinctively go to her waist and she smiles. "I'm glad you know how to play this game, Calem."

She pushes him back against the door and hungrily gets to work, kissing him twice as hard as he kissed her that one time. Her leg pins him to the door, and for a moment he freezes, unsure what to do, before deciding to react the exact way she wants him to, and he kisses her back just the same. She lets go for a moment, observing him, her eyes unreadable. The blonde grabs his wrist and drags him upstairs, kicking open her bedroom door. Calem is surprised at how tidy it is- this girl is wild, so he assumed her room would reflect that. But he wasn't supposed to be thinking about that now- he was supposed to be concentrating entirely on her. She pushes him onto her bed, straddling him carefully. Her hands hover around the top of his sweater, and he can feel his face flushing, unable to react.

"May I?" She asks, and he nods, wordless as ever.

 _Six months after disappearance_

"So basically, what you're saying…" Shauna started, staring at her friend in disbelief. "Is you had a one night stand with Serena? And now you're chasing her all the way around the country because you… what, you love her?"

"Uh… yeah. That's about it."

"Wow, Calem, you've got it worse than I thought. You don't believe Serena actually loves you back, do you? I mean, it's ridiculous. She's super famous, and well… you're nobody."

"She remembers me," Calem said suddenly. "I saw her… last night. Well, this morning. She was in Geosenge Town. And… well, she remembers me."

"And? You can't think she still has any interest in you Calem, that's made. I'm sure that she's been with loads of people. I mean, she's rich, famous and beautiful? What isn't to like?"

"Way to put it bluntly," mumbled Calem, glaring at his hands.

"Anyway, what was she doing in Geosenge Town?"

"By the looks of things, chasing down Team Flare members. She beat them."

"It says in the newspapers you beat them."

"She did say she was going to the media, and putting the victory on my shoulders, so…"

"Are you sure you weren't hallucinating last night? I mean, the reports say five a.m.," Shauna stated, placing one hand in the crook of Calem's arm. "You were probably just tired."

"I saw her," Calem reiterated, removing her hand.

"Well, what are you going to do?"

Calem sighed. "I don't know."

* * *

 _._


	5. Party

Anistar City was left behind him as Calem travelled on, leaving Shauna and her annoying ideas behind. It was pretty late to start travelling, but after telling his story, Calem was filled with adrenaline, and didn't want to sit down. The best he could do was get himself as far away from Shauna as possible, and that meant powerwalking out of the city.

Shauna was wrong, Calem told himself. Okay, Serena might not have loved him, but she cared, in some sort of way. Part of him wanted to storm back into the city and tell her his opinions, but he decided it was best kept to himself. No matter what, he knew she would go back to Vaniville Town and tell Trevor and Tierno what he said, and even worse, she would tell his mother. Then she would storm out here, all guns blazing, and drag him home, spewing all the profanities of the day. Although she encouraged him to hang out with Serena, she knew he wouldn't approve of what slowly turned into an obsession.

The suburbs of the city were brightly lit, which surprised him. The suburbs of Lumiose were completely different- either dark and dingy or clean and well kept, with the better to do citizens abiding in them. Here, that clearly wasn't the case. Anistar's suburbs were filled with young people, not too far off his own age, and he kept his head down as he walked through them.

"Hey!" A voice called obviously aimed at him. He didn't lift his head, but continued walking, trying to ignore the stares. Saturday night meant party night, and he didn't want to involve himself in that scene.

"It's a bit rude just to ignore people, ma chérie," the voice came again, this time closer behind Calem. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, the person's hot breath trailing down his back. "I thought you would've wanted to see me."

"I do," Calem said, turning round to see Serena behind him, her arms folded and a scowl on her face.

"I'm surprised you're actually talking to me. You've changed," she noted, laughing to herself.

"Yeah," he muttered, staring at his feet.

"Oh, lighten up. Why don't you come over?"

"You live here?"

"Duh? Anyone who's anyone in Kalos lives here."

"That's not true. Diantha lives in Lumiose, and-"

"I don't want a detailed list of all the celebrities in the region and where they live, Calem. I want you to come to my house."

"Fine," he conceded, glaring at her back as she led him back down the street.

"I was having a little party, and I was taking a breather, which is when I spotted you. But you're _much_ more interesting than all of them, so I'll kick them out."

"Serena, you don't have to-"

"Yes, I do," she said, whipping round to face him. "I feel as though we have a lot to catch up on. We haven't seen each other in two years, right?"

She turns on her heel, stalking down the street for another few buildings, before throwing the door of one house open and storming inside. Calem followed awkwardly behind her, trying his best to hide behind her tiny frame as she commanded her party guests to leave.

"Go on, get out! This party is officially over! I don't want any of you in here, now or ever again! So scoot! Get lost!" She shouted, causing her guests to glare at her and mumble under their breath as they left the house. Serena held the door open for all of them, waiting until she knew that every single person had left. "Now, Calem. Why don't you sit down?" She gestured to the table, before running over and clearing some of the alcohol off it. Calem sat down, and Serena sat opposite him, and silence fell over them for a few moments.

"The fact that you've finally decided to talk to me after what, three years? It's astonishing. Wow, Calem, I guess some boys really do grow up. And I'm glad you did."

"Stop this, Serena."

"You don't own me, Calem. You can't make me do anything."

"And nor can you make me do anything. I'd rather just talk to you about… well, whatever, than have you berate me."

"What a nice speech," Serena smiled, crossing her hands. "Well, anyway. We've bumped into each other a lot, recently, haven't we?"

"Twice," Calem corrected.

"That's a lot by my standards. I don't meet a lot of people at all, which may come as a shock. And I certainly don't bump into them multiple times. So tell me, Calem Arai, why have we met twice in the last twenty four hours?"

"Coincidence."

"Have you been following me? If you have been, I'm going to have to eliminate you." She laughed, but she wasn't joking.

"I was meeting with Shauna, for your information. And then I was going to go on to Couriway Town."

"No need to be so snippy. I was just _wondering_. And I'm hurt that you were with Shauna. So late at night? Was it a romantic rendezvous? I mean, I know she used to only have eyes for you!"

"What?"

"Oh Calem you're as dense as ever!" She laughed again, genuine this time, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. "Shauna is in love with you. She has been for years. I mean, even I could see it, and I wasn't in your friendship group!"

"Oh."

"May well you say oh, Calem. I'm sure you've broken her little heart."

"I didn't mean-"

"Oh, I know you didn't. But you did. But you may rest assured that at least one of us at this table has never had their heart broken."

"You."

"Obviously. And do you want to know why?"

"Why?" Calem humoured.

"Because I've only fallen in love once."

That statement was so incredibly vague that Calem had to sit in silence for a moment. Serena jumped up, offering to make coffee, to which Calem agreed. If they were going to have this conversation right here, right now, they were going to need caffeine. It was nearing two a.m., and they had only scratched the very surface. She returned a few minutes later, two cups of steaming hot liquid in her hands. She placed one in front of Calem, who immediately grabbed it to warm his hands up.

"So. We'll get off the topic of love since it makes everyone under the sun feel awkward. How have you been in general, Calem, ma chérie?"

"Fine. I've been… I've been worried about you. You just disappeared, and everyone has been worried about you."

"Oh, you needn't have worried. I've been perfectly okay. Some sleepless nights, some stressing, but I'm fine." Her hair has grown back from that one interview, and it's sitting just below her shoulders, bouncy as ever. "You noticed my hair."

"I did." He wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch it, but he knew that would be overstepping his boundaries. "If you don't mind me asking… what have you been doing?"

"It would be quicker to show you than explain to you. But… well, you'll need some context first."

"Okay?"

"I bought this house ten months ago- and since you know me so well, Calem, dear, you'll know that was four months before I did my little disappearing act. This is more of a base of operations than it is a home. I've been planning this for a long time, but six months ago was when I started to put said plan into action. Anyway, I'll show you. Come on!" She leaped up, and Calem followed her as she ran upstairs, throwing open the door at the end of the corridor.

"My bedroom is down there," she pointed, with a wink, causing Calem to blush, before she practically shoved him into the room.

It wasn't dissimilar to his affectionately named 'wall of Serena' in his own apartment, except this whole room was covered floor to ceiling in newspapers. They were pasted onto the wall with precision, each one seemingly categorized. There were pictures as well as words- of prisoners, of the international police, and surprisingly, one of him.

"That's a recent addition," she says, referring to the one of him.

"What are these?"

"All articles about Team Flare," she says, shrugging. "Every article published in the last three years, outlining what they've been doing, and what the ones on the inside. It starts over here," she points to her left, "with the firing of the Ultimate Weapon. I guess you can say it made me paranoid." She looked at the floor, before flicking her head up again.

"What are you doing with all of this information?"

"Haven't you watched the TV? I know you have, Calem, so don't lie to me. I made an announcement, right before I decided to disappear. Lysandre is back. And I've been pinpointing his location this whole time. I know where he is. It's just a matter of time."

"Can I help?" Calem burst out, making Serena laugh once more.

"I was waiting for that. Of course, you may, ma chérie. I know you're an incredibly strong trainer, and you would be an asset for my team."

"Team?"

"Well, a team consists of two or more people, and now we have two, so we're a team."

"Great. When do I start?"

"Tomorrow morning. Or… right now, if you want to be of some 'help' to me," She said seductively, sashaying towards him. "As you may be able to understand, I haven't, well… you know what I mean. It's been two years, and I highly doubt you've been particularly active on that front either. It'll strengthen team bonds, don't you think?"

Serena didn't need to ask twice, as Calem grabbed her waist, crushing his mouth against hers. She steered him backwards out of the room and into her own, where she fell back onto her bed, him on top of her for once.

"I want you to be in charge this time, ma chérie. Do your best!" She planted another kiss on his lips after she said that, and he started to undress her, causing a mass of giggles from underneath him.

* * *

It was past twelve when they woke up, a surprise to neither of them. They had started their night pretty late, and it look quite a while to end, much to Calem's credit. Sunlight shone through a gap in the venetian blinds, making Calem's eyes flutter open. He immediately clocked the sheets barely wrapped across both of them, and her warm skin pressed up against his own. Part of him wanted to leave, and get out of the house before the girl drove him insane, but the more dominant part of him knew he would be doing both her and himself a favour by staying.

She turned in her sleep, and the sunlight shining straight onto her face forced her to open her eyes. She blinked a few times, before training her eyes on Calem.

"Good morning, Calem. Thank you for last night. It was… a good break from the stress of everything. And you're not half bad at the whole sex thing, if I do say so myself. I was surprised actually."

"You're too kind," Calem mumbled, rolling his eyes, and making a move to get up.

"No, no. Stay in bed. Just a little longer, please?"

"Fine." It was hard to say no to her, Calem remembered, crawling under the covers again, and adjusting them so they covered more of his body.

"I'm surprised you care so much about modesty, Calem. I mean, we've seen so much of each other now. It doesn't really matter what I see of you in the morning."

"Stop that," he said, turning is face away from her so she didn't see his blush.

"You know I only tease you like this because I care so deeply for you," she mumbled placing a kiss to his shoulder.

"You know I know that you're only saying that to get your own way," Calem muttered, and she laughed, not denying a thing.

"Well, we have a big day today, partner. This is the day when I explain to you everything."

"Brilliant."

She slid her legs over the other side of the bed, and Calem politely averted his eyes as she searched for her clothing he so carelessly discarded the night before. She put her underwear on and nothing else, scrambling over to his side of the bed.

"Don't take too long getting ready, ma chérie."

* * *

.


	6. Anger

Unlike Serena, Calem was not a morning person. Even though he had woken up before she had, he wasn't properly functioning, and the only incentive for him to get out of bed was the smell of toast wafting up the stairs. He dragged himself out of bed, throwing yesterday's clothes on and wandering downstairs, where Serena was already sitting at the table, eating cereal. A place was set for him, with toast arranged almost artistically on the plate.

"I didn't know what cereal you liked," she commented, and he nodded in reply, still to tired to form a proper sentence. "Are we back to the whole not talking thing? I thought we'd got over that."

"Sorry. I'm tired."

"Fair enough. Oh, and by the way, I thought you were better at listening to instructions. I told you not to take too long, but it took you a grand total of thirty-four minutes to haul your ass downstairs. If we're out finding Team Flare, you have to listen to me, okay?"

"I'm tired," Calem reiterated, grateful for the fact that she had enough sense to make him coffee.

"Whatever. I'm going to get dressed. We're going out today, after I explain my master plan. Au revoir!"

She sashayed from the room, pulling her silk dressing gown closer around her. Calem sighed after she left room, annoyed that he was letting her get her own way. She had seduced him last night, and the time before, and even though he could pretend he was in control for half an hour at a time, he knew deep down that he held no power over her. That, and he knew that he was deeply in love with her.

Serena slid back into the room, sitting down on the sofa at the end and beckoning for him to join her. He purposefully sat opposite from her, attempting to put a little distance between the two of them. She glared, clearly aware of what he was trying to do, but spoke as if she wasn't offended in any way.

"Okay, so. I've been trying to figure out where Team Flare are setting up base, and well… it seems they're not all that smart. In all my searching, I found a secret tunnel that I sent my Zubat down into- I got it from the Wonder Trade, amazing, you should try it- and it leads right to where their old base in Geosenge Town was."

"Really? You mean, they haven't moved in nearly three years?"

"Right. But we're not going there, not yet. We have to work up the chain, start at the bottom and work up. I've been collecting information, and working with people under pseudonyms to get as much as I can. In the last six months, the North Boulevard of Lumiose City has seen sixteen blackouts. They've only lasted for a few hours at a time, and no problems were reported at the Power Plant. However, in the last week, four individual buildings have lost complete power without getting it back. Long story short, I believe that Team Flare are trying to gain power for their Ultimate Weapon by using just electricity, instead of the power of legendary Pokémon. You know how that turned out the last time."

"So… you're saying Team Flare are under Geosenge Town again? And also in the Power Plant?"

"Correct. Very well listened, Calem. You'd think you were a genius or something!"

"Stop being sarcastic. Are we going to the Power Plant, then?"

"Correct again. What Pokémon do you have on you?" Serena demanded, leaning forward suddenly.

"Greninja, Meowstic, Talonflame, Pangoro, Goodra and Gengar. Why?"

"Just wondering. I would avoid using Talonflame and Greninja while you're there. Try to use Pangoro more. Oh, and take this." She tossed a box across the room to him, and he opened it, staring in confusion at the contents, a black bracelet.

"What is this?"

"Ever heard of Mega Evolution? Well, this will allow you to Mega Evolve your Pokémon. Gengar, specifically. I was hoping that you would have a Pokémon that was capable and I didn't just have to give you something you couldn't use. So yeah, I'll find my Gengarite and gift it to you at some point."

"Thanks?"

"You're welcome. Let's go."

Serena had left the room and was standing outside before he even had a chance to respond. He jumped up, slipping the bracelet onto his wrist as he followed her. She had already mounted her Staraptor and was waiting for him. He rolled his eyes at her, before calling out Talonflame and chasing her into the clouds.

"Do we have a plan?"

"I don't really do detailed plans, Calem, ma chérie. I'm more of a go with the flow girl, myself. We bust in, and try and stop what they're doing."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Probably not, but it'll work. We'll have our Pokémon out the whole time, so we'll be fine."

Not willing to trust her judgment, Calem called out his Pangoro and put the Pokemon behind him, between himself and Serena. He pushed the door open, revealing an empty corridor, with the lights flickering ominously near the bottom.

"There's no one here. Let's move," Calem commanded, and Serena nodded, following quietly behind him. The snuck down the corridor, pausing at the door at the end.

"Shut up! What if one of the workers comes back, we can't afford to be heard!"

"I just asked if we had enough electricity to fire the Ultimate Weapon yet! No need to yell at me!"

"We're supposed to be using codenames! Project Crystal, thank you very much!"

"No one told me about that!"

The voices went back and forth repeatedly, and clearly the first person had forgotten about keeping quiet. Calem sighed, before kicking the door open, Pangoro, Serena and her Delphox following behind him. The two people inside turned around immediately, silencing themselves.

"Who are you?" One of them demanded, hand slowly creeping towards her Pokéball. Calem was about to answer when her felt Serena move out from behind him.

"Your worst nightmare," she stated, her head lowered and her fists clenched.

"Serena!" One of them hissed, fear evident on his face.

"We should go," the other responded, and the pair nodded vigourously.

"Yeah, we were just going. No disruption here!" They made a break for the door, but Delphox blocked their way, Calem's Pangoro blocking behind him. Calem himself backed into the left wall, scared of the expression on Serena's face.

"Blast Burn," she said calmly, and her Pokémon obliged, sending the deadly fire attack towards the two grunts. "Good job. Let's go Calem. Our work here is done!"

She dropped a card with a swirly letter on it that Calem couldn't exactly make out. He followed her out of the building, and as soon as the cold air hit his face, his stomach lurched, and his toast came up in the least pleasant of ways. Serena laughed haughtily, returning her Delphox to its Pokéball as Calem shakily stood up.

"Wow, Calem, I never thought you would've had such a reaction. I never would've let you join me if I knew that would happen. Maybe you should just stay at home!"

"Why did you do that?" Calem burst out, returning Pangoro to its ball. "Is this how you've been dealing with Team Flare? By burning them all to a crisp? You're a monster, Serena. I don't want anything more to do with you."

"Come now Calem, do you really think I would be stupid enough to burn every single one of my victims? No, I use a variety of options. Smash their skulls in with Sylveon's Moonblast. Lacerated with Florges' Magical Leaf. Sliced in half with Staraptor's Brave Bird. All my Pokémon are trained to kill, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

She said it nonchalantly; straightening her sunglasses perched atop her light blue hat. There was a look in her eyes, however, that Calem picked up on. Usually, Serena was passive, calm and sassy. This time, something in her eyes gave her entire psyche away. Her eyes were filled with madness, with a type of anger that Calem had never set eyes upon before. She was smiling, her teeth showing, as she turned to Calem.

"I've set out a huge plan. And I need your help."

"I can't."

"What do you mean, you can't? You said you wanted to help me! You _slept_ with me for Arceus' sake! You can't just say you won't help me. I know you love me Calem, and I will not let you leave me until this is all over. Until Lysandre is dead and the Ultimate Weapon is decommissioned and we can live in peace!"

"If you kill Lysandre, you'll become just as bad as he is. You said we were a team- do you mean to recruit more members? Do you want to start another Team Flare, and take over the region by making people fear you? You're already in charge of the entire region, what more could you want?" Calem spat, taking a step towards her, fists clenched and teeth gritted.

"I want you, Calem! I want to have a nice happy life with someone that I love! But that can't happen in a world with Team Flare."

"You…" Calem froze, not able to move. "You love me?"

"Why else would I have sex with you, idiot? I'm not just doing this for fun. You're important to me. There, I said it!"

"You love me."

"That's what I said! And what I repeated, and what I explained!"

"Sorry. This… is a lot to take in."

"So, are you staying or not? Time to make up your mind, Calem dearest!"

"I'll stay. For now, at least. Though if I want to leave, you have to let me leave."

"We'll see about that," Serena said, and Calem winced. "Lets go home. I have more planning to do. I swear, Team Flare will be dead and gone by the end of the week."

* * *

Serena stormed into her house and up the stairs, her hair shimmering in the late afternoon sun. Calem stood in the hallway, and as soon as he heard her bedroom door slam and her high-pitched scream of anger from upstairs, he went into the living rom, rolling his eyes and flopping down onto the sofa. He could just have left now while she was distracted, but he didn't want to risk ending up cut in two, or covered in cuts, or burned. The images of the dead bodies still floated in the front of his mind, and another wave of nausea washed over him. He covered his face with his hands, trying to unsee what he had witnessed earlier in the day.

He heard Serena's bedroom door open again, and she came storming down the stairs, her face tear stained, her hair tousled and her clothes wrinkled. Her hat had been left upstairs, leaving her head looking oddly bare. Calem sat up straight, moving over a little to make room for her.

"Calem," she rasped, sitting down beside him and placing her hands on his chest. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Okay."

"Are you not accepting my apology?"

"It's pretty hard to accept an apology from someone who I just saw murder two people."

"It was retribution, not murder, thank you very much. But… maybe I can change you mind. Make you forgive me."

"That's gonna be pretty hard to-"

He was cut off by her mouth against hers. She tasted of coffee and chocolate and broken dreams, and Calem couldn't help but give in to her. He kissed her back, gripping onto the top of her arms as if he was afraid he'd lose her. Her tongue slipped into his mouth, and then her mouth let go, trailing kisses down his neck instead, unzipping his hoodie and slipping it off. She took his shirt off and pushed him backwards onto the sofa, placing well-aimed kisses onto his bare chest. His hands tangled in her hair, and it was only when she got to his stomach that he made some effort to respond.

"Stop."

"What?"

"Stop."

"Why?"

"Sex is not the only way to solve problems, Serena. I know you're angry and I know you're broken, but honestly this isn't going to help you." He gently pushed her off, sitting upright and putting his clothes back on.

"I just wanted to try. And it didn't work." She shrugged, fixing her hair and sitting opposite him. "And I know you were enjoying that."

"That's not the point. I have standards, Serena, unlike you."

"You wound me."

"Stop acting like a child."

"I am not! Honestly Calem, you're so hard to deal with sometimes."

She waltzed into the kitchen and away from her problems, humming a tune and twirling her hair. Calem sat still, left with the weight of all her problems as well as his own.

* * *

 _AN: I might skip next week's chapter because I have four alternate endings in my head and I need to figure out which one I want to use, so that'll take time. However, this will definitely be done by New Year! Thank you for your support so far, and please do leave reviews if you're enjoying it! c: - pachi_

 _EDIT 4/12/15: changed all typos and wrong tenses I could find._


	7. Action

"We're going to Team Flare's base today, Calem, my dear."

"Really? The one in Geosenge Town?"

"Correct!" Serena said, scooping up cereal with her spoon. "We're leaving as soon as were done here, so eat up."

"I'm not hungry," Calem muttered, staring into his coffee.

"Well don't eat then. I'm done, so let's go." She pushed her chair back with a bone-chattering scrape, ignoring Calem's wince.

The two flew low over Kalos towards Geosenge Town, Calem tying his fingers in knots to distract himself from what he knew deep down Serena would do inside the building. No matter what he said to her, he knew he wouldn't be able to change his mind, and therefore he tried to block out her very existence- her sweet talking and flirtatious flicking of her hair and batting of her eyelids. If he pretended she wasn't there, he could pretend he wasn't caught up in this mess. He just wanted to find out if she was okay, and possibly tell her that he loved her, but he didn't sign up for exterminating an entire crime organization.

They landed softly, Serena scurrying to hide behind one of the rocks surrounding the centre of the town. Calem followed her, his hand resting over Greninja's Pokéball on his belt. Serena held up a hand to ensure he didn't talk, and the pair watched the middle of the town for almost an hour before two figures clad in red appeared. Serena silently moved from behind the rock, and paused, waiting for them to move. As soon as they headed northwest, into where Calem remembered their base being, she motioned for him to follow, and they tailed the Team Flare Grunts underground. Serena waited until the grunts were at the bottom of the staircase before clattering down the staircase, attracting as much attention as possible. Multiple heads turned in her direction, and Calem shrunk back into the wall, hoping that would somehow let him go unnoticed.

"Intruder!" A grunt yelled, attracting everyone else's attention.

"That's Serena, you idiot!" Another replied, and the same panicked look washed over their faces. Calem assumed they'd heard about what happened at the Power Plant, and other locations he assumed she'd been attacking people in.

"Right you are, mon amie! And unless you do what I say, I will happily dispose of all of you! Calem, call out Greninja." The boy followed her command, sending the Pokémon out and hoping that the frog Pokémon wouldn't have to get blood on it's hands. Serena sent out Delphox, causing the Team Flare members to recoil in horror. "Take me to your leader!" She called.

One by one, Team Flare members scurried out of the hall, aware of another presence approaching the room. There was a clattering of high heels against metal, and one of the Scientists appeared, leaning on the railing of the stairs opposite where Serena and Calem had entered.

"I don't suppose you've come to take me to Lysandre?" Serena asked, walking down the final few stairs and what Calem could only describe as a lobby.

"No, she hasn't," another voice said, coming from behind Calem. "Nice of you to drop in, Serena. And this must be the delightful Calem that I've heard so much about!"

"Celosia. Are you two here to battle us? I can't think of any other reason why the two of you would be here."

"Correct," Celosia said, giving Calem a sharp shove in the back that made him almost fall down the metal stairs. "Myself and Bryony were sent to wipe you out. And if for some reason you are able to defeat us, Aliana and Mable are ready for after this. And I'm sure Xerosic and Lysandre will put an appearance in if it comes to it."

"Brilliant," Calem mumbled, lining up with Serena. "Don't kill them."

"I won't"

Part of him didn't believe her.

Bryony and Celosia sent out Mightyena and Manectric, and Greninja and Delphox got into their positions in front of Calem and Serena. Without a single command from their trainers, Greninja and Delphox sent out devastating Water Shuriken and Mystical Fire attacks, effectively removing their opposition from the battle.

"What just happened?" Bryony called across the room. "Neither of you told your Pokémon to do that!"

"I guess they're just that in tune with our hearts," Serena sang, fixing her hat. "Florges, go! Vine Whip, tie them up!" Florges' vines shot across the room, wrapping themselves around the two scientists before they could even realise what was happening. "Happy?" She muttered to Calem, who nodded curtly. "Nice to see you again. Hopefully we won't ever have to meet again.

Serena grabbed Calem by the wrist, pulling him through to the next room. It was only small, and held another flight of stairs, this time down, further into the earth. They cautiously walked down, Greninja stuck to the ceiling in front and Delphox holding up the rear. They got onto the next floor without too much trouble, where they encountered another horde of grunts.

"Are you going to send more of your leaders after me, knowing I'll just defeat them? Or will you take me to Lysandre?" They left the room as soon as she appeared, and Calem glanced around at their faces. Their expressions were a mixture of fear and confusion, and clearly they were being fed commands by their leader on how to deal with this situation.

"Serena, look," Calem whispered, grabbing her arms and making her shut up. He pointed into the distance, where the room split off into two. Standing at the doors were two more Team Flare members, one with orange hair and the other with blue, neither of whom were leaving. "We probably have to fight them individually."

"Fine with me. As far as I'm aware they both have dark type Pokémon, so you should be okay with just your Greninja. I'll be using Hawlucha. I'm pretty sure there's another room on the other side of those that we'll be able to meet in again. Good luck."

She ran down the rest of the stairs, following the orange haired one into the room on the right. That left the blue haired admin for him, and he reluctantly dragged himself down the stairs towards the door. She swept into the room before he reached her, leaving the door open and taking her place at the end of the battlefield.

"I've heard about you," she said, tossing a Pokéball to release a Weavile. "You're Calem Arai from the Kanto region. You recently entered a relationship with Serena Voclain and you're helping her take down our organization. "I can't allow you to do that!"

Calem sent out his Aegislash, hoping that the Steel type would be able to overcome the Ice type's defenses. Calling out a command for Iron Head, the Royal Sword Pokémon flew towards the Weavile, who jumped out of the road with a sneer. The Ice type swiped at Aegislash, who moved to its Shield Forme to protect itself from the attack. It then switched to Blade Forme, using Iron Head once more at Calem's request. This time the attack landed, causing the Weavile to fall backwards to its trainer's feet.

"Your Weavile isn't that strong, is it?"

"Sh-shut it! My Pokémon are plenty strong enough! On your feet, Weavile, and use Ice Beam!"

"That won't do anything to my Aegislash. Iron Head, once more!" Calem knew that this was a risk, as Weavile's speed would probably allow it to dodge the move once again. However, in its exhausted state, Weavile merely raised its arms in an attempt to deflect the attack, meaning that Aegislash could knock the opposing Pokémon out. Weavile lay flat out on it's back, Aegislash hovering slightly above its lifeless form.

"Thanks for a good battle," Calem said, returning to Aegislash to its ball. "I'll be going." He stepped over Weavile and brushed past Mable to the door that she was guarding.

Serena was already waiting for him on the other side. Presumably she had also won her battle, but that was to be expected from the strongest trainer in Kalos. They wordlessly took to the stairs again, not worrying this time about having their Pokémon out to protect them. They both knew by this point that Team Flare were proving to be a pushover, and Calem could deduce from Serena's loose shoulders and occasional hair flicks that she was feeling confident. Calem was not. His palms were sweaty. His fingers kept tapping against his legs. None of these things were voluntary, yet he couldn't seem to calm himself. They hadn't come up against any opposition in twenty minutes, and although things seemed to be calm, Calem knew trouble was just around the corner.

And oh boy, was he right.

A huge Malamar stood blocking the way down the next corridor, and Calem could faintly hear the beating of what he assumed to be a Crobat's wings in the background. Serena backed up a little, thinking through what her options were. After a moment of thought, Calem threw a Pokéball to reveal his Pangoro, stepping in front of Serena, who had seemingly frozen.

"This wasn't in the plan," she muttered, dropping her head and digging her fingernails into her palm.

"It'll be fine. I'll manage this one."

"Calem, you'll not manage. Give me a moment to think, and don't do _anything_."

"I'm gonna have to not listen to you on this one."

"A wise decision, my boy," a voice called, causing Calem's attention to go back to the Malamar. "She's nothing but trouble. You could join us and see her fall, or you could stay with her for a life of misery."

'I'll decide that for myself. Pangoro, Sky Uppercut!"

Malamar's dual typing made it hard for Calem to quickly come up with an effective strategy. He didn't have a bug type Pokémon on him, nor did any of his party know Fairy Type moves. He was sure Serena's Sylveon would've been perfect in this situation, but since she was having either a mental breakdown or the world's most ill timed complain, he had to handle this himself. Thankfully, Pangoro's move hit, throwing the Overturned Pokémon down the corridor. Silently celebrating, Calem looked down the corridor. He intuition was right- the flapping sound was a Crobat. He looked over at his partner, who had shrunk onto the floor, look a step closer to her.

"Serena. Get up, I have a plan."

"You're not the one that comes up with plans!" She spat, glaring up at him.

"I am now. Let's go." He clamped a hand around her upper arm, pulling her to her feet. "You take care of Malamar with Sylveon. I'm sure one Moonblast would do the trick." He left her then, running down the corridor before Malamar had time to regain his balance. As Calem and Pangoro reached the Crobat, a man, who Calem presumed the earlier disembodied voice belonged to, stepped out from the shadows.

"Nice of you to get her to her feet. She's a valuable asset to us, which will become clear soon."

"Whatever. Who are you?" Calem demanded.

"Xerosic. Top scientist and researcher. And keen battler!"

"At least I know who we're about to beat in battle then. Pangoro, Rock Tomb!"

The Pokémon span about disorientated, before locking it's view onto Calem.

"Crobat, Cross Poison!"

"Counter with Stone Edge!"

The two attacks collided and, combined with what Calem assumed was Sylveon's Moonblast making contact with Malamar, filled the corridor with a thick smoke. Coughing, Calem made his way back to Serena, who was standing in an unusually smokeless zone.

"Malamar's down. If we run now, we'll get past Xerosic without too much of a fuss!"

She grabbed his hand, and ran down the corridor, tearing past a choking Xerosic. Serena snorted at the sound, causing Calem to wince. In her mind, he thought, she was probably glad of an excuse for him to die without her having specifically caused his death. Serena yanked him to the left and out into another landing, where they ran down yet another flight of stairs.

They ended up in a dark corridor, with dark metal floors and equally dark walls. Each step they took made the floors creak in complaint. There was a light at the end of the corridor.

"That's it."

"That's what?"

"Lysandre."

* * *

 _AN: Sorry for the six year wait for this omg anyway here it is‼‼ there will be maybe two chapters after this one, depending on how long what I think will be that last one turns out to be! Thank you for being so patient ^^' -pachi_


	8. Panic

Calem was all for the sensible option. He wanted to wait until they had devised a plan, but then he remembered he was with Serena, and even if he had a plan, he wouldn't be able to suggest it to her because she would never listen to a word that came out of his mouth. So he tactfully kept his mouth shut, and watched her with a sad look on his face as she stormed down the metal corridor and skillfully kicked the door down.

"Alright, idiot, what are you going to do? We played along with your game, we beat all your scientists, where the hell are you?" She screamed, hands fisted by her sides.

Calem wandered down the corridor at his own speed, joining her in Lysandre's office. He was sitting at his desk, hands folded and a bemused expression painted on his face. He didn't say anything for a good few minutes, eyes flickering between Serena and Calem as he tried to figure out how they had got past all his defences. Serena wouldn't give him the satisfaction of her speaking again, so she folded her arms across her chest and glared at the man.

"Frankly, my dear, you're too late." The man stood up, towering over both Calem and Serena. Calem took a step back, blocking the door. Serena glared into his face, not wanting to be intimidated by him.

"What do you mean? We're not too late, because you're not going to do anything."

"Oh, but you're wrong." He sounded as though he was about to laugh, and Calem couldn't help but feel this was the most inopportune time for laughing. "You see, Serena, throughout all your calculating and planning and figuring out and, may I remind you, _murdering,_ you forgot to cover your tracks. Yes, your family and friends couldn't find you. Yes, the media reported you as missing. But we're not stupid. We could find you. Your calling cards helped hugely." He lifted a fancy piece of paper from his desk, holding it delicately between two fingers. It was slightly scorched around the edges, and Calem immediately recognised it as the card Serena had dropped the day previously. "You're not as smart as you assume."

"But you were going to fire the Ultimate Weapon today. At twelve o'clock. I didn't torture three people just to be wrong!"

"You're not wrong."

"But you can't fire the Ultimate Weapon if you're here!" Serena huffed, stamping one foot childishly against the ground.

"You're not wrong," Lysandre repeated. "I can't. But that doesn't mean no one else can." The phone rang at that moment, causing Calem and Serena to flinch. "Hello?" Lysandre drawled, a knowing smile ghosting across his lips. He pressed a button, and the person's voice filled the room.

"The Ultimate Weapon is ready to fire at your command, sir." The voice was oh so familiar to Calem, and yet he couldn't quite place it. It was soft and high, unlike Serena's low angry voice. It drew him towards the desk, and he took a few more steps into the room.

"Wait just a few more minutes, dear. I'll give the signal. Stay on the line."

"Will do!" The voice went up at the end, and in a flash of inspiration, Calem figured out who it was. He ran towards the table, pushing Serena roughly out of the way.

"Don't do it!" He yelled, earing what was almost a growl from Lysandre.

"Calem?" the voice squeaked, and Calem's chest felt heavy.

"Shauna, whatever you do, don't press that button."

"Calem… I'll do what I want. I don't need to listen to you anymore. You ran off for Serena, leaving us all behind. She's gonna bring you nothing but trouble, I'm telling you!"

"That's got nothing to do with this! You can't fire the Ultimate Weapon!" He was becoming desperate, leaning on the table. He was half surprised that Lysandre hadn't removed him yet, but when his eyes flitted up to meet the others, he understood why.

"Wait here. Stall him as long as possible. I'm gonna find where Shauna is," he muttered to Serena, before running out of the room.

He had no idea where he was going, but instinct kicked in after a few seconds and he swerved right, ending up at what looked almost like a boiler room. There in the middle, orange light reflecting off it, was the Ultimate Weapon, and directly below it was Shauna, standing with her arms folded and a scowl on her face.

"So, you finally decide to show your face," She sneered. Calem was taken aback. Shauna wasn't the sneering type, not at all.

"Shauna, listen to me. This thing is going to destroy all of Kalos if you press that button."

"Good. Then maybe it'll destroy you. Lysandre says we're safe down here, that we'll not be killed along with the rest. But we'll force you and your girlfriend out, so you'll not have that liberty of continuing life."

"Shauna, you don't know what you're talking about. You're going to die if you press that button!"

"Then try and stop me! I was supposed to wait for the boss's command, but I'll just do it now!" She took a step towards the machine.

"Stop."

"I won't."

She took another step.

"Please."

"You don't care, not really."

Another step.

She underestimated him. He was taller than she was, and faster, and overall more physically equipped for getting in between her and the machine. He stopped her, holding her at arms length.

"I do care."

"Then why did you leave?" Her voice cracked, and tears spilled from her eyes, leaving hot trails down her cheeks.

"Because sometimes you have to care about yourself before you can care about others. And when that happens, it's… it's hard to accept that others care about you. So I left because I thought that was the right thing to do. And I regret that immensely."

"What?"

"I miss you. And I miss Trevor, and Tierno, and maman, and everyone in Aquacorde Town. I'll come home, I promise. Just let me fix this, okay?"

She nodded, and he released her. He mouthed 'go' at her, and she ran, out of the room, up the stairs, and into the open air. Calem hoped if she had any sense she'd go home, but a large part of him doubted that.

"Touching. Nice try. She was just here to buy time. I knew she wouldn't be able to fire the weapon, but there you go. She was so close. Imagine that! She was so filled with hate after you left her. Bless her. Always trying to do the right thing, no?" Calem didn't even turn around to see who it was, instead balling his fists to contain his anger.

"Where's Serena?"

"In my office. For someone so skilled at Pokémon battles, she's not overly talented in hand to hand combat."

"You knocked her out?"

"Yes."

"I'll not let you fire this weapon."

"Too bad. I can anyway. There's another button here," Lysandre said, indicating a button Calem hadn't even noticed before. "Just in case." Before Calem could even think about moving to stop him, he pressed the button, causing red lights to flash and a voice to come over an intercom.

" _Five minutes until the Ultimate Weapon fires. Please make your way calmly to your designated bunker."_

"Good luck trying to get out of here!"

Lysandre sauntered out of the room, walking into a room that was located across from the Ultimate Weapon's room. The door slid closed behind him, effectively locking him inside. Calem didn't know what to do, but decided that rescuing Serena was the best course of action. He backtracked as quickly as he could, shoving his way through the hordes of Team Flare members that were coming his way. Presumably, the bunkers were in that direction, but Calem didn't have time to be worrying about that.

Serena was passed out on the floor of Lysandre's office, golden hair spread out over the floor. Calem tried shaking her, but there was no response. He lifted her up, putting her onto his back and making a break for it. After a few seconds of running, Calem cursed himself for not getting out more. He was unfit, and there was no way he would make it to the top of the many flights of stairs on his own in five minutes, never mind running with Serena on his back.

" _Four minutes until the Ultimate Weapon fires. Please make your way calmly to your designated bunker."_

He would be fine once they got outside. Talonflame could fly them to safety, and they could pretend that none of this ever happened. Well, hopefully. He shifted Serena's weight on his back, and tried to get the rest of the way up the stairs. Countless Team Flare members were streaming down past him, making his job even harder. It didn't help that Serena was starting to stir, and her sleepy movements made it hard for him to balance.

" _Three minutes until the Ultimate Weapon fires. Please make your way calmly to your designated bunker."_

Calem was seriously doubting his ability to get to the surface in time. He ran along the long corridor where they had fought Xerosic, ignoring his passed out body on the ground. He shook his head, trying to forget that that man, along with the other four scientists, would probably die during all of this. The next flight of stairs seemed to take forever to climb, and once they got to the top, Serena finally woke properly.

"What's going on?" She mumbled.

"Just stay still. They're firing the Ultimate Weapon soon and we need to get out of here."

"So… I failed?"

"Yes. But it'll be fine. Ready your Staraptor's Pokéball if you can," Calem commanded, taking the lead for once.

"I can walk for myself, Calem."

"No you can't. Just let me do this, Serena." She shut up after that, allowing Calem to effectively get through the next floor. Mable was standing by the door, arms folded and heard lowered.

"Are you not gonna move?"

"Not a chance. This place is gonna completely blow up either way, and we'll all die, except for Lysandre. His bunker is the only completely safe one," she sighed, lifting her glasses. She looked scared, and Calem felt a wave of sympathy for her.

"Come with us."

"No way. You're... you two are extraordinary. I can't compete. Just go, idiots."

" _Two minutes until the Ultimate Weapon fires. Please make your way calmly to your designated bunker."_

She turned away, and Calem had no choice but to leave her. He left the room, and climbed the stairs as quickly as he could, knowing there was only one floor left to get through. Bryony and Celosia were still tied up on the floor, Florges' Vine Whip effectively keeping them in place.

"You weren't just planning on leaving us here, were you?" Bryony spat.

"We were, actually. Bye!" Serena retorted. Calem had stooped to look at them, almost pitifully. "Get moving, Calem," she hissed, digging her elbows into his sides.

They reached the top of the last flight of stairs within no time at all, and Calem let Serena down gently. He pressed the large 'exit' button, and the door slid open, allowing the pair to escape into the bright sunlight. They released Talonflame and Staraptor, boarding them swiftly and flying off in the direction of Lumiose City. As soon as they had left the rocky confines of Geosenge Town, a loud siren started to wail, and the ground cracked open, allowing the Ultimate Weapon to slowly rise from the ground. Thankfully for them, the residents of Geosenge soon realised that it was a repeat of their previous incident, and scattered in all directions, leaving the town empty.

The Ultimate Weapon set itself in place, crystals refracting the sunlight. A large amount of energy collected in the middle, and in one quick movement, it shot out from the weapon, straight into the sky and came crashing down on Geosenge Town. Talonflame and Staraptor were blown backwards, and both trainers had the common sense to direct their Pokémon as far away from the site as they could while still being able to see what was going on. The sky was filled with many trainers on bird Pokémon, surveying the area. The dust cleared after the minutes of silence, allowing Calem and Serena to see the damage.

"It's gone."

"The whole town."

"I can't even see the Ultimate Weapon. Did it destroy itself?"

"I'm not sure if it had that much power… but it seems it has done."

* * *

Serena didn't make herself known to the police, fleeing the scene as fast as she had arrived on it and leaving Calem to take the fall. Luckily for him, he was branded a hero, and had manage to save the residents of Geosenge Town in what the news reported as a "repeat of the Team Flare incident". Calem was branded a national hero, and some people claimed he was even stronger than Serena herself.

He returned home to Vaniville Town, greeting Shauna and his mother with tears and open arms. They accepted him back into the community wholeheartedly, and helped him move his things from his apartment in Aquacorde back home. He tore up his Serena shrine, vowing never to think about the girl again.

Friday night was movie night, according to his mother. They settled down on the sofa, and she made dinner while he did his daily news watching. Although before he had only done it for news on Serena, he now was too invested in what was happening in Geosenge Town to not watch it.

That Friday night, a familiar face appeared on the news at the end.

"The manhunt for Serena has officially been called off!" An excited anchor announced, smiling brightly into the TV. "The blonde beauty and star of Kalos is here in the studio! After six months of running Serena, why are you coming back now?"

"I've done what I needed to. I said I would take down Team Flare, and although my dear friend Calem did a lot of the work for me, I am done with team Flare. Their leader has been captured and I'm confident that they're done for good."

"So, you were working in league with Calem?"

"You could say that," she drawled, flicking her hair towards the camera. Calem flushed, more angry than flattered.

"Anything you would like to say to him? I'm sure he's watching!" He didn't want to hear what he had to say, but as his mother entered the room at the precise moment this was said, he couldn't very well turn the TV off. Serena turned to the camera, looking serious and sombre, a look he never would've expected from her.

"Calem, mon amour. I'd like you to challenge me at the League. I know you are well capable of defeating the Elite Four, and I would like to see you give it your all. Okay, Calem? Defeat me, and become champion. That is my final request of you."

Oh, shit.

* * *

 _AN: am I going to write a full six on six battle between Calem and Serena next chapter? yes. Will i regret that immensely? yes. Don't forget to review!_


	9. Hubris

Calem wanted to avoid the Pokemon league at all costs, but after his mother pestering him, seventeen phone calls from Shauna and a handwritten letter from Trevor, he pulled himself up and begrudgingly took off for the Pokemon League. Luckily for him, he didn't have to traverse his way through Victory Road again, instead landing outside the building itself.

The automatic doors slid open, and Calem was surprised to see the lobby completely empty. The receptionist looked up expectantly, and sighed in a grateful manner when she saw that it was indeed Calem.

"Thank God it's you, Calem. Serena's been refusing other challengers," she commented, taking his Pokedex for registration. "We've been losing money because of that girl. You better... Do something good in there. Good luck, challenger!"

Calem nodded sincerely, fixing the sunglasses perched atop his hat. He stepped through the double doors into a long, familiar hallway, and they clicked shut behind him. The intercom announced that he was making his way in, and each door leading off the hallway unlocked in sync. The last time he was here, he had challenged Malva first, and he intended to do the same this time.

* * *

The battle was easy, his Greninja making light work of the woman's fire type Pokemon. The same happened for Wikstrom, Siebold and Drasna, who battled with the saddest look on her face.

"You better cause a miracle in the Radiant Chamber, dear. That Serena is beyond help. I've heard her crying for three days straight, but she won't accept help from anyone."

With a brisk nod, Calem turned and left the Dragonmark Chamber, leaving Drasna and her words of wisdom behind. There was only one person left to battle, and needless to say, Calem was looking forward to that one the least. He stood in the lift, elevated above the Elite Four and brought up to the level of the champion. The room was exactly the way he remembered it- white and pure, with a huge stained glass window covering the back wall. The floor still had its odd mosaic tile representing all of the Pokemon types, and the curtains were still flung wide. And she still stood there, back to him and hair shining golden in the late afternoon sun.

"You came," she said, simple and straight to the point.

"That I did."

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't. I don't know what I would've done then," she laughed, and the morbid quality of her voice made the hairs on the back of Calem's neck stand up.

"You would've been fine. You're overreacting as usual, Serena."

"Ah, mon amour you are hilarious! Always making jokes and with such a straight face!"

"I'm not joking. I'm here to battle you, Serena, and I'm here to defeat you."

"Fighting talk! I love it. Well, Calem, ma chérie, get on with it! Isn't the man supposed to lead?"

He rolled his eyes, gritting his teeth to stop him from yelling more toxic words at her. He gripped a Pokeball in his hand, and tossed it into the battle field.

"Meowstic, go."

"Starting off this way, are we? Alright then, I'll reciprocate your move. Sylveon, I choose you!"

The two Pokémon met in the middle of the battlefield, staring each other down as only fierce rivals would. The Fairy Type Pokémon towered the psychic, glaring down it in a completely uncharacteristic way. The look in Sylveon's eyes set cogs turning in Calem's mind. He had always known Sylveon as a kind and graceful Pokémon, but unless this was a different Sylveon, something had gone terribly wrong within the few weeks since he's last seen Serena. He couldn't help but think that Serena had brainwashed her Pokémon in some way, but he wouldn't know- not until her Delphox battled his Greninja.

"Use Psychic," Calem commanded, and his Pokémon jumped back from Sylveon, eyes glowing as it launched its attack. The Intertwining Pokémon took the attack, floating in the air above the ground. "Now drop it." Meowstic mewed loudly, letting its opponent drop from the sky with a thud onto the field. Sylveon shook itself off before clambering to its feet and baring its teeth at Meowstic.

"Well played. I'm not about to lose to you, though! Sylveon, dear, use Moonblast!"

This powerful move right of the bat from Serena made Calem swallow hard. There was no way he could deflect or dodge the attack by the time it reached Meowstic, so instead he called out a different move.

"Reflect!" The move still went through the barrier, but Meowstic didn't faint. "Alright, now, Imprison!"

Serena's expression turned to one of panic as the status move hit her Sylveon. She tutted, before commanding her Pokémon again- "Sylveon, Quick Attack!"

"Return!" Calem yelled, holding out the Pokéball and allowing the Constraint Pokémon back to it's Pokéball.

"That was a dirty trick," Serena huffed as her Sylveon slid into the dust at Calem's feet.

"Alright, Aegislash! Let's finish this in one move. Iron Head!" The Pokémon headed towards Sylveon before the Fairy Type could even respond, landing the devastating move dead on. "Nice job."

"Ugh, that was an annoying and cheap strategy. Sylveon, return, and have a good rest. I really thought we'd got over that babyish strategizing," Serena addressed, glaring across the field at him. "But nonetheless, you and your team did manage to defeat one of my Pokémon, so you're doing better than you did last time! Now for my next Pokémon- Hawlucha!" She tossed the Pokéball and the Pokémon was released, it's eyes just and fierce and dangerous as Sylveon's were before it.

"Aegislash, use Iron Defence!" This move was only to buy time. Did Serena know anything about the typing of his Pokémon? If she did, there was no way she would've sent out Hawlucha. Calem smirked. He knew Hawlucha was merely her hardest hitting Pokémon, so she didn't send it out for strategic reasons- did she?

"High Jump Kick!"

"Let it hit you."

"Stupid! A fighting type move will obliterate a Steel Type!" Hawlucha landed on top of Aegislash, who merely shook it off.

"But not a ghost type. Aegislash, Rock Head!" As Hawlucha was within close range, the attack hit directly, causing the smaller Pokémon to faint. Aegislash also took damage, reverting into Shield Forme to protect itself.

"I'm not taking any more risks," Serena hissed through gritted teeth, returning her fallen Pokémon. "Delphox, it's up to you! Destroy him!" This sounded more like it was aimed at Calem than Aegislash, and clearly Calem's own Pokémon recognised this, as it moved defensively in front of it's trainer. "Lucky Chant."

A pink light surrounded Delphox, before dissipating as quickly as it arrived. The Pokémon looked more ready to battle than it had before, and Serena laughed down the battlefield at Calem.

"You won't stand a chance against Delphox, face it, Calem. Mystical Fire!" Delphox twirled it's stick around in the air, before opening it's mouth and releasing a stream of fire towards Aegislash. Calem had to hold his arm up to protect his face, and didn't have time to call out any defensive move for Aegislash. When the fire was gone, Aegislash was on the ground.

"Critical hit!" Serena sang, victorious as usual.

"Return. Well done Aegislash," Calem muttered, staring down at the Pokéball in his hands. He was already winning with two of Serena's Pokémon out of commission and only one of his unable to battle. If he could just take her Delphox down, he would be able to sail through the rest of the battle without too much of a problem. His hand hovered over Greninja's, ready to pit his starter Pokémon against hers. But part of him didn't want that battle, and instead took a risk by throwing the Pokéball of a Pokémon he hadn't battled with in months.

"Gengar!"

"You're not going to- ugh, this is unfair! You can't use a Mega Evolution Pokémon when I'm not!" Serena fumbled for another Pokéball, and Calem took the opportunity to attack.

"Mean Look!" Gengar laughed, staring Delphox in the eye as it released it's attack. Serena lifted her Pokéball, but Delphox didn't return.

"Using that same dirty trick again. Really, Calem, you need to get over this. Delphox, use Future Sight!"

"Get in close and use Hypnosis!"

Delphox flew towards Gengar, it's eyes glowing, just as Gengar opened it's mouth and emitted the sound that immediately sent Delphox to sleep.

"Damn you!" Serena shrieked, clearly losing her cool.

"Alright. Now, join your heart with mine, and mega evolve!" Calem touched the keystone on his wrist and a blinding light enveloped Gengar. Serena glared down the battlefield, and Calem smirked back at her, one eyebrow raised. The light disappeared and Mega Gengar was left in the middle of the battlefield, hovering near Serena's now sleeping Delphox. "Nightmare!"

Nothing visibly happened for a second, aside from Mega Gengar closing it's eyes. Then Delphox twitched suddenly, it's body wracked with pain. The nightmare was taking place, and there was nothing Serena could do about it. She stomped her foot, calling out to her Pokémon, who couldn't pay attention.

"Now, Shadow Ball!" From close range, Gengar's attack did more damage, but still Delphox didn't fall.

"It'll take more than a measly Shadow Ball to defeat my Delphox. Come on now, darling, wake up!" She cooed, as Delphox shuddered from another bout of Nightmare taking another quarter of its health. Calem cursed himself internally. The only offensive move Gengar had was Shadow Ball, as he had trained Gengar mainly for Hypnosis and Nightmare.

"Shadow Ball!" He called out again, not having much say in the matter. This attack also hit Delphox, the force of it pushing the Fox Pokémon backwards. As soon as the attack left Gengar's hand, the Pokémon fell to the ground, crippled in pain.

"That was my Future Sight attack! I bet you'd forgotten all about that. Anyway, it looks as though my darling Delphox has awoken again. Flamethrower!" She commanded, taking a step back to brace herself against the heat of the attack. Gengar was hit square on, being pushed back in the process towards Calem. Fortunately for him, his Pokémon didn't faint, and scrambled back to its feet, bouncing through the air to get away from Delphox.

"Try another Shadow Ball!" He called, and the Shadow Pokémon charged up the attack within its hands.

"Counter with Mystical Fire!"

Delphox charged its attack too, making rings of fire in the air with its stick. Both Pokémon released their attacks at the same time, causing a collision of energy in the air. When the smoke cleared, both Gengar and Delphox had collapsed, Mega Gengar's evolutions slowly disappearing. Delphox's eyes shot open again, and it barely scrambled back to its feet.

"I'm clearly a better trainer than you, Calem. My Pokémon survived, and yours didn't!" Serena laughed, the bitter song resonating off each wall. "Send out your next one. I think we both know who you'll choose."

He didn't want to listen to what she said, but truthfully, Greninja would be his best bet. He could choose Pangoro, but he didn't want to run the risk of the sheer power of Delphox taking him down. And now, Blaze would've activated, making each Fire Type attack even more deadly. Calem clutched Greninja's Pokéball in his hand tightly, before tossing it onto the field, allowing the Ninja Pokémon to finally shine. Delphox's eyes trained carefully on it's opponent, the only part of the Pokémon to follow Greninja as it ran in circles around Delphox to confuse it.

"Night Slash," Calem whispered, not wanting to take any risks with other moves not being powerful enough or using them up. Greninja slashed at Delphox, and the Fox Pokémon growled before toppling to the floor.

"Hm," Serena mused, returning her first Pokémon to its Pokéball. "This is beginning to get interesting. You've taken down half of my Pokémon."

"And I'll take down the other half," Calem said. "And I bet I won't even have to use all my Pokémon."

"Confident, are we? We'll just have to see about that. Florges!" She called, and the Garden Pokémon. "This is the power house of my team. I'd like to see your Greninja take her-"

"U-turn!"

Greninja shot towards Florges before Serena could finish her sentence, hitting Florges hard and returning to its Pokéball. Calem smirked upon seeing Serena's face. The speed and intensity of the attack was enough to fell Florges, and although she managed to scramble to her feet, the Pokémon had taken some serious damage.

"Talonflame, go!"

"How predictable," Serena drawled, rolling her eyes.

"Use Tailwind!"

"Speed won't help you!" Serena yelled, fixing her hat desperately and yelling out more commands to her Pokémon. "Petal Blizzard!"

"Use Flare Blitz and fly right through that!" Calem called, and Talonflame answered, coating its aerodynamic body in flames and tearing through Serena's onslaught, burning up each petal in the process and turning them into sparkling ashes.

"No," she whispered, staring in horror at the oncoming bird. "That's not… that's not a contest move, is it?" She stared at Calem, who had turned to one side and thrown an arm out to command Talonflame better. His stance was similar to those she had seen coordinators in other regions take on as they made combinations out of moves in those fancy, over the top battles. She remembered that Calem was born in Kanto, and everything clicked into place. This boy knew contests like the back of his hand. Each move was painstakingly precise, planned in advance. Nothing was spur of the moment, and he knew what he was doing to take down her Florges.

Frozen with shock, Serena could do nothing but stare as her Florges was hit, falling to the ground as Talonflame quickly retreated out of the way of danger. Serena watched Calem with intensity, as he and Talonflame shared a smile in victory. She watched as he stared straight at her, questioning why she hadn't switched out her Pokémon. She heard him calling out to her, heard her name coming from the other end of the battlefield. She fell to the ground, staring numbly at her knees. How could she have been so _stupid_? This boy deserved so much better than her, and here he was, after she had said all those things, determined to fix what she had done wrong. He had helped her so much in the Team Flare base, and this was how she repaid him? With insults, and abuse, and beating up his Pokémon? Arceus, she loved him, and the thought of it made her feel _sick._

She could feel footsteps vibrating along the ground, the dust of the battlefield and the ashes rising into the air and falling just as quickly. She could see his feet running towards her, coming closer. But she didn't want him near her. No. Not after everything. She couldn't bear it. But since she couldn't move or speak, he came anyway, wrapping his arms around her. She didn't know why. She didn't deserve any ounce of forgiveness from him, and he was giving it to her by the bucket load. She set her head reluctantly on his shoulder, breathing in his soapy and clean smell. She missed him. She missed this. But it couldn't go on.

"Stop," she whispered, in an all to familiar reversal of his words a mere month ago. He let go. "I want to finish the battle." She scrambled to her feet, and he returned to his end, focus not completely on the battle any longer.

"Staraptor!" She called, blinking tears aggressively from her eyes. "Use Defog!" Staraptor flapped its wings, blowing the ashes from Talonflame's last attack away.

"Use Fly!"

"You too, Staraptor!"

The two Pokémon soared into the sky, taking jabs at each other until returning to a lower altitude. That achieved nothing, and both trainers were getting tired.

"Brave Bird!" They called out, almost in sync, Calem's eyes widening at Serena's choice of such a move. Talonflame was tiring from its earlier Flare Blitz, but Serena's Pokémon was fine. The two flying types powered up before charging at one another, covered in a bright blue light of their energy. They collided in the middle of the battlefield, Talonflame making contact first. Staraptor fell, the damage of Talonflame's attack and the recoil damage taking its toll. Talonflame fell back, before falling itself; succumbing to the damage it had taken.

"I guess your Talonflame was more powerful than Staraptor," Serena mumbled, wiping her face furiously. She returned Staraptor to its Pokéball. "Well, I guess it's my duty to announce that you've beaten me, and you-"

"You still have one Pokémon left," Calem pointed out.

"I'd rather you just-"

"No." Calem was blunt, and Serena took a deep breath before selecting the final Pokéball from her belt.

"Gardevoir," she whispered.

"That's not-"

"No, it's not. Diantha gave it to me as a Kirlia back when I defeated her. I don't like to use her in battles, but…"

"Greninja," Calem said, throwing the Pokéball into the field. "This is our final battle Serena. Make it a good one." She nodded mutely, before commanding Gardevoir.

"Connect to my heart and Mega Evolve!" She said, tapping her Mega Stone. A light enveloped Gardevoir, and the Pokémon was changed drastically, becoming more powerful in the process. "Use Energy Ball!"

"Water Shuriken!" Gardevoir's attack merely scraped Greninja, but each of the Ninja Pokémon's attacks sliced Gardevoir, causing her damage.

"Moonblast!" Serena didn't want to give in, even though by this point she knew that it was all useless.

"Hydro Pump!" The attacks collided, but the water one pushed through, hitting Gardevoir straight in the chest. "Now, U-Turn!"

It happened again- Greninja shot towards Serena's Pokémon, causing damage and returning to Calem. He threw a Pokéball and called upon Meowstic again.

"Finishing things the way you started them?" Serena laughed hollowly.

"Something like that. Sucker Punch!" This attack was too much for Serena's poorly trained Gardevoir, who fainted; it's Mega Evolution disappearing.

"Well done."

* * *

Serena escorted Calem into the Hall of Fame, and stood back as he placed his Pokéballs into the machine. He took a step backwards, standing in line with her.

"Thank you," he said, reaching out and taking her hand.

"For what?" Serena said, glancing down at this sudden gesture. "I've done nothing to help you."

"For existing. You gave me a purpose. You made me leave the house, and now I'm here, so I have to be grateful." He leaned into her, gently pressing his lips against hers, and now she could taste him- coffee and pancakes and unadulterated love. She broke away, her tears rolling down her face and into her mouth, salty and sad.

"No. I've hurt you. I don't deserve your forgiveness." The machine clicked, allowing them to know it was done, but they ignored it, lost in themselves.

"I do forgive you, though."

"No, Calem, mon amour. I can't let you. I love you so much, but… I can't." She turned away, taking a step into the middle of the room, in front of the machine.

"Congratulations! You're the new Champion of the Kalos region! Wow, the number of times I've rehearsed that speech. Well done! You deserve this position!" She passed his Pokéballs back, smiling. "I'll see you around," she whispered, before practically running out of the room.

* * *

The life of the champion was not easy, Calem quickly discovered. He met all the champions from other regions at his inauguration, but he didn't want to see any of their faces. He wanted to see Serena, but he knew that was a wish that wouldn't come true.

"Where is she?" Iris asked at a fancy league dinner party. "Usually the old champion is a mentor to the new champion for at least a month. And I miss her! She was really funny."

"She's done a runner," Calem answered miserably. "I don't know where she's gone."

He reported her missing after a week and a half. He did forgive her, and he still loved her, despite Shauna, Trevor and Tierno's complaints. They claimed he was ditching them, but at least now he had an actual excuse. His computer at work was filled with pictures of her he had taken, smiling in the wind and posing outside the Anistar Sundial. He sighed when he thought about her, but there was nothing he could do to get her back. She wouldn't answer her Holo Caster messages, and Calem assumed she had thrown it away. Posters gradually were put up all over the region, and Calem found himself looking at them sadly on his way through Lumiose City every day (he had splashed out and bought a new apartment with his prize money).

Her face was everywhere once again. He couldn't read a newspaper without talk of her. And after a while, he began to think he saw her in other places. An article about him teaching at the Pokémon School would have a flash of familiar blonde hair in the corner. A photo of bad weather in Laverre City would feature _that_ red hat bowling across the photo. And Calem found himself staring for hours at these, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him. And then he realised.

He was obsessed with the girl in the missing posters.

* * *

 _._


	10. Contentment

_Five years and eight months after second disappearance_

It's been stormy in Lumiose City recently, and Calem's apartment block has been shaken up by the winds. He's woken up every night by a gust, so it's no shock to him that Thursday night when he wakes up at three am. At first, he thinks the sound is just the wind. But after a moment of trying to ignore it, it persists through the darkness, forcing him to get up.

The hammering on the door doesn't stop- clearly who ever is outside really wants in. Calem hauls himself out of bed, ignoring the half dead feeling inside his head. He switches every light on as he makes his way downstairs, pulling a jumper over his head to keep some semblance of heat in. The sound continued until he opened the door to a dripping wet Serena.

She invites herself in, pushing past him and through into his living room. It's almost as if she knows where she's going, and Calem lets her in with a raised eyebrow and half a smile. He goes into the kitchen, flicking the switch for the kettle on and spooning instant coffee into a cup. He's going to need the caffeine if he's going to get through this night with the whirlwind that is Serena. He makes her coffee too, in the one spare mug he owns.

He carries the cups through to the living room, leaving them down on the table. Serena has seated herself in the armchair, huddled up into herself. Her hair is still dripping, and Calem notices that she's cut it again. It's barely brushes her shoulders, framing her face neatly.

They sit in silence, with the only sounds being the howling of the wind and Serena slurping her coffee. Calem's never met anyone who slurps hot drinks, but Serena is weird like that, so he doesn't question it. Her eyes aren't really focussed on anything, and she stares out the window as if she's waiting for something to come in and attack her. Calem worries, but there's not much he can do if she's not going to say anything. She's stubborn like this, Serena. She often goes through spells without talking to anyone, so her silence doesn't surprise him too much. He did think, however, she would've grown up. She was twenty-five now, and she looked and acted exactly the way she did as a seventeen year old. Even he had grown out of his awkward and uncomfortable phase that lasted a good five years. Champion duties really did make you mature. (Although maybe not in Serena's case)

"Sorry," she blurts out suddenly. Her voice is no different than before, but sounds more tired, as if she's spent the last five years, eight months and thirteen days yelling. (Not that he's counting)

"You haven't done anything wrong," he replies, glancing down at his feet. Her own are bouncing a mile a minute, and Calem regrets giving her coffee.

"I abandoned you," she says, and she's not wrong.

"You had your reasons." He's trying to be nonchalant, but he's still annoyed that she left him to fend for himself in the champion position.

"Yeah, I didn't want to be around you. And I left you on your own, and I doubt Drasna was much help."

"She's retired," he says, setting is coffee down.

"So I heard. And I also heard that you're the best champion Kalos has ever seen. You beat out Diantha's reign," she says, uncurling her legs and stretching out.

"It's only been a week."

"It's still impressive."

"Are you here to congratulate me then?"

"Can't I visit an old friend?"

"It's a bit out of the blue."

"Well!" She exclaims, downing the rest of her coffee. "I missed you, so I found out where you lived and came here." She spreads her hands, blinking innocently.

"Right." He won't tell her that he missed her too, because that would be like admitting to his feelings. He had tried to forget about her over the last five years, but it hadn't worked.

"So"

"So?"

"How have you been?"

"Busy," he answers after a minute. "The league keeps me on my toes, and I have a lot of work. There's surprisingly a lot of challengers this weather."

"That's nice to hear."

"How have you been?" He asks. It's a common courtesy, but his face flushes.

"Fine. I've also been busy. I… I gave them all away."

"All what?" He's sure he knows the answer, but he needs to make sure.

"My Pokémon."

"Oh."

"I didn't really deserve them," she explains, her eyes flickering to the floor and resting there. "They're all in better places now. Diantha has Gardevoir back, I gave Hawlucha to some trainer in Vaniville Town, Florges is staying with Professor Sycamore, I released Staraptor, and Sylveon and Delphox are with maman, in case I change my mind."

"That's… a brave move."

"You can say that again. Can I get more coffee? I'll make it myself."

"Knock yourself out," Calem says, gesturing lazily at the kitchen door. She gets up, and disappears, with only the clattering letting him know she's still there.

He's not sure what to say to her. What do you say to someone who abandoned you five years ago? How can you strike up a conversation with someone you used to _love_? Calem rubs his temple, blinking hard in an attempt to wake himself up. He wouldn't usually be awake at this time of day, but he reckons he doesn't have much choice. Serena will probably stay until she passes out, and then disappear again in the morning.

"You really need to clean more," she comments, re-entering the room with an annoyed expression on her face. She sits down again, setting her coffee carefully on the table.

"I'll do it later." He has no intentions of cleaning his kitchen later. He cleaned everything yesterday, on his day off, and just because it wasn't up to Serena's unrealistic expectations didn't mean he was going to do it again.

"So…" she leans back in the chair, looking at him with cautious intent. "Have you… got a girlfriend?" Her eyes are wide with curiosity, her voice going up at the end a few pitches higher than usual.

"No." He tried dating for a while to get his mind of Serena, but no girl could live up to the impossible standard that was Serena. "Are you… with anyone?"

"Hah! No way. I've been 'in hiding' for five years, remember?" She laughs, and his memories of all that time come flooding back, causing him to wince.

"Of course." He pauses. "What have you been doing?"

"Checking up on Team Flare," she says vaguely, checking her baby pink fingernails.

"Weren't all the members arrested for terrorism or something?"

"Correct. I suppose the champion should know these things," she sighs, leaning on the arm of the chair. "Some of the lower members are beginning to be released, so I'm keeping an eye on them. Lysandre and the scientists won't ever get out, but I don't want a repeat of what happened before."

"Don't you think you're being paranoid?"

"No. I'm just taking precautionary measures."

Silence fell between them. Serena could tell that Calem didn't approve of her idea. He sighs quietly, staring at the wall. There isn't anything interesting there, but it distracts him from her long enough to formulate something sensible to say. He's about to open his mouth when she speaks, sending his thoughts spiralling away from him.

"I missed you."

It's vague, and she's not even looking at him when she says it. She stares at the carpet tapping her feet in a strange incessant pattern. He doesn't know how to react, but when did he ever around her? He missed her too, but he wasn't about to tell her. He doesn't know how to put anything into words without it sounding sappy and over the top. He does still love her- and Arceus, he missed her so much.

She's silent for the best part of ten minutes, and he doesn't dare look over at her for fear of falling further within her grasp. She has changed a lot- that much is obvious. From her outward appearance to giving away her Pokémon, she's practically a new person. But he can't just forget the past, and what she did. She murdered people for her cause. She should be in jail, but she's here instead, while the news story of the serial killer with the swirly 'S' calling card still occasionally appears on the TV. She's in his living room, instead of wherever would be best for her. She was dangerous still, even without her Pokémon.

"I'm going to bed. You're…. You're welcome to sleep on the sofa, if you wish."

He leaves the room before she can answer either way, closing the door tightly behind him. He let out a deep sigh before climbing the stairs, still wondering why she had bothered to search him out at all.

* * *

He wakes up to the smell of pancakes assaulting his nostrils. He glares at the ceiling, knowing that Serena must have woken up before him. It's approaching one o'clock, and he sighs, annoyed that he slept in so late. He could only blame her, though. He would've slept properly if she didn't decide to come knocking at ungodly hours of the morning wanting to reminisce. He wouldn't have been up half the night thinking about her if she didn't turn up, and now she was making breakfast in his kitchen.

He drags himself out of bed, changing out of his pyjamas before going downstairs. Serena is standing in the kitchen, apron wrapped around her waist and hair tied up in a messy bun atop her head. If she hadn't left that time in the Pokémon League, he thought, he could wake up to this every morning. Hell, they could be _married_. If she had been kinder, and he more tolerant, they could've worked things out. He shook the idea out of his head, angry with himself for dwelling on the past and what could've been.

"Good morning!" She calls, sensing his presence.

"Morning," he offers in return.

"I hope you don't mind me making lunch. I was hungry," she explains, scooping the pancake out of the pan and onto a plate. She holds it out to him, expecting him to take it. He shakes his head, instead shimmying past her to turn the kettle on. She looks mildly offended, before shrugging and eating it herself.

"How did you sleep?" He asks. He didn't really care, but he had to at least pretend.

"Fine. Your sofa is surprisingly comfy." She makes another pancake, humming lightly to herself. He makes his coffee, leaving her in the kitchen while he sits down. He turns the TV on, and surprise surprise; there she was, on the TV.

" _Reports are coming in from the Vernal Avenue area of Lumiose City that former champion, Serena Voclain, was spotted last night. It is said that she was seen in the Stone Emporium and two local cafés before a final report places her at champion Calem's house at roughly three a.m. It's common knowledge that these two used to be romantically involved, so is there something going on between them again?"_

Calem switches the TV off, angry that they were making such a big deal out of it. There was _nothing_ going on between them. He may still love her, but he was sick of her coming and going, sick of the will-they-won't-they, sick of the media storm she was creating.

"You're going to have to leave after you eat," he calls, and although it breaks his heart to do, he has no other choice.

"I figured you would say something like that," she sighs, bringing her final pancake into the living room and sitting down opposite him. "Well, I can leave. It's no skin off my teeth. I will miss you, however."

"I didn't-" he sighs, recalculating his words. "I didn't say I didn't want to see you again. I just think…" he pauses again. This is hard. Her constant stare really isn't helping matters. "I think if _this_ is going to happen, we need to take things slower. And like… go on dates, and stuff. Like proper couples."

"I'd like that," she smiles, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.

"So… I still have your Holo- Caster number. I'll send you a message when I think of something to do, okay?" She nods, setting her plate down, pancake eaten. She takes both of his hands within her own.

"I'll see you soon, then," she whispers, leaning up to place a chaste kiss on his lips. He recoils slightly, more in shock than anything else. "Bye."

And then she's gone. Calem likens her to a whirlwind. She appears, changes everything around her, and then disappears. And he supposes, that despite all of the dangers, he wouldn't have it any other way.

 _Eight Years and Eleven Months after second disappearance_

He always imagined that he would end up like this. Sunday mornings were for relaxing, but of course, Calem never could get his way with Serena, could he?

"Calem!" She yells, and he rolls his eyes before dragging himself out of bed, placing his feet into his slippers. Her voice is coming from the other room, and he enters to see her standing facing away from the door, hair tied up on top of her head. She's swaying from side to side incessantly, impatiently.

"What is it?" She turns suddenly, arms outstretched.

"Take him. I'm so hungry, and I really need to pee, so you can do your fair share. I was up three times last night, you know that?"

Calem takes the baby out of her arms as she runs past him, rolling his eyes. He stares down at the child in his arms, wondering how on earth they had managed to work things out to this point where they were married and had a baby and a nice house of on the outskirts of Lumiose City. It was all Calem had every really wanted, to be honest, but of course Serena was good at overcomplicating things. He's still champion, longest serving in Kalos history, one of the many things he was proud of.

He rocks the baby as it stared up at him. Corentin, as Serena had decided, is still small, but clearly liked his father better than his mother. Calem laughs every time he looked at the baby's messy black hair. She couldn't have picked a better name for the child. Just like his mother, he is a storm, and Calem dreads the day he grows up and decides it's time to become a trainer.

Serena has reclaimed some of her Pokémon, namely Sylveon and Delphox, and Sylveon doted on the baby as if he was it's own. Calem didn't let his Pokémon out in the house to protect Corentin, but he knows as soon as he can walk, their child will demand to play with his Pokémon. Calem dreads the day, in fear that his child will get squished by Pangoro or end up having an allergy to Meowstic.

He stares down at the baby, and the baby stares back. Serena re-enters the room, half a sandwich in her hand.

"Are you… crying?" She asks, peering at Calem from the door.

"No!"

"You are! Hah, I can't believe it! You didn't even want to have a baby and now look at you! You're crying over him!" She teases, in typical Serena style.

"I'm just glad that we're here together," he mumbles, not making eye contact with her.

"Oh, shut up. We were totally meant to be here together. Call it fate, destiny, whatever, but I know that this is where we're meant to be. You're happy, right?"

She's insecure now, after all that happened. She asks this a lot, and Calem reassures her. There was no way that he could be unhappy. He pauses before answering, unsure of how to put it into words. He settles with a simple answer, grabbing her with one arm and balancing the baby in the other.

"Right."

* * *

 _A/N: Thank you all for sticking through with this to the end! I'm honestly very disappointed to see it go because I really enjoyed writing it. This chapter took the longest to write, even though it isn't the longest in length. I wasn't sure how I wanted to end it, but I'm pretty happy with the way it tuned out! Thanks again for reading, and please review! c: - pachi_


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